Telangana Phone Tapping Case: The Telangana Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Thursday issued notices to BRS working president KT Rama Rao following the questioning of former minister T Harish Rao in the phone tapping case. KTR has been asked to appear before investigators in Hyderabad tomorrow at 11 am, PTI reported, quoting its sources.
What Is The Telangana Phone Tapping Case?
The Telangana phone tapping case is a major political row, in which it was alleged that the BRS government (under KCR's rule) illegally tapped the phones of opposition leaders and other dignitaries through the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB). According to Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar, the probe was launched to examine the allegations about widespread unauthorised and illegal surveillance, monitoring, and interception of phone calls of politicians and businesspersons.
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100,000 Calls Tapped?
Former Telangana intelligence chief T Prabhakar Rao has been the prime accused in the matter. The case was registered in 2024 after the Congress government came to power. An SIT is investigating the matter, with claims of over 100,000 calls being tapped.
A suspended DSP of Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) was among four police officials who have been arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 2024 for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets as well as for alleged phone-tapping during the previous BRS regime. They were subsequently granted bail.
Former Telangana Intelligence Chief Questioned
The Special Investigation Team questioned T Prabhakar Rao before expanding its probe towards the top BRS leaders. On June 20, MLA Harish Rao was questioned by the SIT in the case, hinting that some bigwigs could be interrogated in the coming days.
Harish Rao's examination was solely in connection with the phone tapping case, wherein serious allegations with respect to widespread unauthorised and illegal surveillance, the Hyderabad Police Commissioner .
Sajjanar said Harish Rao was summoned before the Investigation Officer at Jubilee Hills Police Station and examined in detail. He was permitted to leave early because of his son's scheduled flight in the evening.
A detailed investigation has been going on into the case from March 10, with the first chargesheet having been filed against certain accused persons. Further investigation continued in relation to several connected aspects of the case, he said.
(With PTI inlputs)