In a major development in the ongoing Telangana phone-tapping scandal, former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) P. Radha Kishan Rao has been taken into police custody for seven days.
The police are probing about who issued the orders to tap the phones illegally.
So far, the scandal, which involves allegations of illegal phone tapping and the destruction of official digital data, has led to a series of arrests and a comprehensive probe into the matter.
What is the case about?
The case revolves around the alleged tapping of opposition leaders’ phones during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government’s tenure. The Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) officers, including former DCP P. Radha Kishan Rao, are accused of tapping the phones of opposition leaders and subsequently destroying computer systems and official data to conceal their actions.
What sparked the investigation?
The Telangana Police intensified the investigation after the arrest of a DSP, D. Praneeth Rao, on March 13. Mr. Praneeth Rao is accused of gathering intelligence information from electronic devices and engaging in unauthorized phone tapping during the previous government’s tenure. Following his arrest, a lookout circular was issued against former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, then DCP P. Radhakrishna, and a senior executive of a Telugu TV channel.
Two additional superintendents of police, Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, who were charged with colluding with the suspended DSP, were also arrested. The accused officers are facing charges of criminal breach of trust by a public servant, causing the disappearance of evidence, criminal conspiracy, and other charges.
The next court hearing on this matter is scheduled for April 12, and further developments are anticipated as the investigation proceeds.
More accusations come to light
Meanwhile, another case is being linked to the former DCP Radha Kishan Rao, who allegedly extorted the owner of Kriya Healthcare.