Former Telangana Intelligence Bureau chief T Prabhakhar Rao has been named as the main accused in the phone tapping case. It has been alleged that the phones of the opposition leaders were illegally tapped on the orders of Prabhakhar Rao during the former BRS government led by Chandrashekhar Rao.
Two additional superintendents of police have also been arrested by Hyderabad Police in connection with the case of phone tapping case and destroying certain computer systems and official data.
As per an official release from Hyderabad police late Saturday night, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Thirupathanna and Additional Superintendent of Police N Bhujanga Rao have been arrested.
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The two police officials, who earlier worked as additional superintendents of police in the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) and Intelligence Department respectively, were remanded in judicial custody on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the police issued a lookout circular (LOC) against Prabhakar Rao and then deputy commissioner of police of Commissioner's Task Force (a wing of Hyderabad Police) P Radhakrishna and a senior executive of a Telugu TV channel.
The lookout circular was issued against them as they were not available for investigation in the case and were allegedly not cooperating.
As per reports, Rao is suspected to have gone abroad and is in the US.
The two additional SPs were accused of colluding with suspended DSP of the SIB D Praneeth Rao, who was earlier arrested by Hyderabad police for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets as well as for alleged phone tapping.
During questioning, the two police officials confessed to their involvement in the reported crimes, including conspiracy to monitor private persons illegally by developing their profiles, abusing their official positions and destroying public property to conceal their involvement in collusion, the statement said.
On March 13, Praneeth Rao, who is accused of developing profiles of unknown persons and monitoring them clandestinely, without authorisation and illegally, besides destroying certain computer systems and official data, was arrested, police earlier said.
Praneeth Rao was recently suspended by the Telangana government. He was a DSP during the previous BRS dispensation and was subsequently working in the office of the Director General of Police (DGP). He was earlier accused of tapping phones of opposition party leaders.
Based on a complaint filed by an additional superintendent of police of the SIB on March 10, a case was registered against Praneeth Rao and others at Panjagutta police station here on charges of criminal breach of trust by a public servant, causing disappearance of evidence, and criminal conspiracy and other sections of IPC, PDPP Act and IT Act-2000, as per PTI.