Former IPS Officer Prabhakar Rao Named A1 In Phone-Tapping Case

Former IPS officer and ex-Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) chief Prabhakar Rao was named A1 (Accused 1) in the case of the alleged phone-tapping of opposition political leaders and businessmen during the previous BRS regime.

The police have included former DSP of the SIB Praneeth Rao as A2, and Additional SPs Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna as A3 and A5 respectively.

The police confirmed that Prabhakar Rao was the key mastermind in the case, and that the tapping devices were later destroyed on his orders.

The police seized the destroyed hard disks, and are trying to repair the damaged tapping devices.

Praneeth Rao, Bhujanga Rao and Tirupathanna have already been arrested, and were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody today.

Bhujanga Rao had worked in the political intelligence wing till before the Assembly elections, and Tirupatanna was on duty as an Additional SP of the SIB.

During the elections and by-elections held in the State, it was found that some leaders of the opposition parties were targeted for phone-tapping. Prabhakar Rao, former DCP of the Hyderabad Task Force P Radha Kishan Rao, and Shravan Rao of I-News Media have been found to be involved in the phone-tapping affair. There are Look-Out Circulars (LOCs) issued against them by the Panjagutta police, and the three are believed to be abroad according to The Times Of India.