Ex-BRS MLA Lingaiah skips summons in phone tapping probe; asks time till Nov 14

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad police, probing the case on phone-tapping allegedly happened during the previous BRS regime, summoned former MLA Chirumarthi Lingaiah to appear for questioning on Monday, but the ex-legislator sought time till November 14 for his appearance.

He is the first non-police official who was summoned as part of investigation into the case. The Investigation Officer (IO) of the case had issued notice to him (Lingaiah) for questioning, but he did not appear before the police on Monday citing health reasons, a senior police official told PTI. He said he would appear on November 14, the official said.

Four officials including a suspended DSP of the SIB, two (suspended) Additional Superintendents of Police and a former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), have been arrested by Hyderabad Police since March 13 for allegedly erasing the intelligence information from various electronic gadgets and the phone tapping allegedly happened during the previous BRS regime.

The former chief of Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) in Telangana and another accused are still absconding in the case and are suspected to be in the US. The suspended DSP and his team developed profiles of hundreds of people and intercepted phone calls of several others, police said.

Those accused in the case have allegedly put phones of some political leaders, a High Court Judge and his family members and others under surveillance.

Inputs from PTI