During the previous BRS government in the state, phone tapping targeted several opposition leaders, including A. Revanth Reddy, then a member of Congress and now Chief Minister of Telangana, as well as rebels within the then ruling party. He was a establishment figure, businessman, journalist, and former state police officer. This was revealed by the defendant in the peeping incident.
Former deputy commissioner of police P. Radha Kishan Rao revealed some startling facts in his confessional report to investigators.
He claimed T. Prabhakar Rao, then Director General of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), launched an operation aimed at collecting data on persons posing a threat to the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government under the then K. Chandrasekhar Rao government. It seems like he was in charge of everything. The operation was carried out ahead of the November 2023 general election, and also targeted dissidents within the then-ruling party.
The controversy over phone wiretapping and snooping came to light after the BRS lost its parliamentary mandate and SIB officials involved in the operation were arrested for destroying the data collected
Radha Kishan Rao, who was arrested in March, disclosed details of the operation in a confession in April. He revealed that SIB Deputy Director Praneeth Kumar had reportedly been tasked with profiling individuals to neutralise potential threats to the government after tagging them.
The former police officer reportedly revealed that the operation was not just about snooping on politicians but also on industrialists in the real estate and construction sectors to find out their connections.
Following rumours of phone tapping, as political leaders, bureaucrats, judiciary and others began avoiding direct phone calls and turning to encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp, Snapchat and Signal, Prabhakar Rao and his group were allegedly tracking communications made over internet calls. They would obtain and inspect Internet Protocol Data Records (IPDRs).
The former DCP also alleged that iNews journalist Sravan Kumar had met Prabhakar Rao on the request of then minister and senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao. Sravan Kumar allegedly sent information about opposition leaders and their financial backers to the Intelligence Bureau, which was used to seize cash targeting rivals.
He cited the Munugode poll as an example and claimed that cash was transferred in official vehicles during the 2018 and 2023 general elections. He claimed that Rs 350 crore was seized from the associates of Komati Reddy Rajgopal Reddy, who contested elections on a BJP ticket.
Sravan Kumar is said to have supported Praneeth Kumar’s team’s online trolling campaign against BRS critics.
Radha Kishan Rao said the SIB was in charge of monitoring BRS leaders including MLC Shambipur Raju, who was in conflict with the then MLA from Qutubbullapur, and former deputy chief minister T. Raju. revealed that it was also used. Mr. Rajaiah was dissatisfied with another former deputy chief minister and senior leader Kadiyam Srihari, former minister Patnam Mahender Reddy and his wife; He had a different opinion with MLA Teegala Krishna Reddy.
Revanth Reddy and his family, former IPS officer and BSP state president R.S. Praveen Kumar, Teenmar Mallanna, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Eatala Rajender, Bandi Sanjay and Dalvind. and media personalities Narendra Chaudhary of NTV and Radhakrishna of ABN were among those whose phones were allegedly tapped.
The watch will be on opposition candidates such as Raghuveer, son of former minister Jana Reddy from Nagarjunasagar, Sarita Thirupasaiah from Gadwal, Juvadi Narsingha Rao from Kortola and Vamsi Krishna from Achampet. It also extended to
Earlier this month, the court had rejected the bail plea of Radha Kishan Rao, who was also an officer on special duty (OSD) in the task force. Radha Kishan Rao was arrested as a co-conspirator along with other suspended police officers D. Praneeth Rao, Bhujanga Rao and Thirupasanna.
The phone tapping came to light in March when a case was registered with the Panjagutta police after a petition was filed by Additional SP, SIB, Ramesh D.
Prabhakar Rao has reportedly formed a team within SIB with his trusted aides, including DSP D. Praneeth Rao kept tabs on rival political leaders and their families, as well as dissidents within the ruling party. Praneeth Rao was arrested on suspicion of destroying hard drives and other data when the Congress came to power.
Mr. Bhujanga Rao, Additional Superintendent of Police, Bhupalpalli district, and Mr. Thirupasanna, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Urban Safety Wing, Hyderabad City Police, were arrested on March 23. They also worked at SIB.
On May 10, a city court issued an arrest warrant against SIB Director Prabhakar Rao, the main suspect in the phone tapping case. The Nampally Metropolitan Magistrate also issued an arrest warrant against Sravan Kumar. Both are said to be in the United States.
