The Jubilee Hills police today interrogated former BRS MLA Chirumarthy Lingaiah regarding phone calls he made to Additional SP Thirupathanna.
They also questioned him about the alleged phone tapping of Madan Reddy and Rajkumar, the followers of Nakirekal MLA Vemula Veeresam.
The police presented Lingaiah with a report indicating that the phones had been tapped.
The police also asked him questions regarding money movement during the Munugodu Assembly constituency by-elections.
After the questioning, Lingaiah spoke to the media, saying, "I have answered all the questions asked by the police. I had spoken to Additional SP Thirupathanna in the past, as he was known to me. Thirupathanna had asked for the phone numbers of Madan Reddy and Rajkumar. I obtained these numbers from my followers and provided them to him. I asked Thirupathanna why he needed the numbers, but he instead inquired about the election campaign progress in Munugodu. I informed him over the phone that the campaign was going well. The claim that MLA Vemula Veeresam's followers' phones were tapped is untrue. Some people are spreading false rumours to vilify me in the media."
"I have no connection to this case. I was questioned based on a call list that indicated my conversations with Thirupathanna," he added, and said that he would cooperate with the police whenever called for questioning in the case.
BRS leaders Bollam Mallaiah and Paila Sekhar Reddy were also issued notices in connection with the phone tapping case. Mallaiah and Reddy are expected to be questioned following Lingaiah's interrogation. The police may also issue a notice to another former minister after their interrogation of Lingaiah.
This marks the first time that political leaders are being questioned by the police in connection with the phone tapping case, making it a hot topic in Telangana politics.