Former Telangana SIB chief Prabhakar Rao surrenders to SIT in phone-tapping case
Prabhakar Rao faces allegations of orchestrating a large-scale illegal phone surveillance network during the previous BRS regime
By - Newsmeter Network
Telangana ex-SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao (File Photo)
Hyderabad: Former Telangana SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao on Friday surrendered before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone-tapping scandal, complying with the Supreme Court’s order for a week-long custodial interrogation.
Court allows home-cooked food for Rao during week-long interrogation
A day earlier, the Supreme Court permitted the SIT to interrogate the retired IPS officer in custody for seven days.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan directed that no physical torture or undue hardship be inflicted during questioning.
The court also allowed Rao access to home-cooked food and regular medication throughout the interrogation period.
Concerns over iCloud access and dumping hard disks in river
During the anticipatory bail hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that Rao had reset passwords for only two of his five iCloud accounts, despite clear directions to provide full access.
He also alleged that Rao destroyed digital evidence, including hard disks and dumped them in a river. Appearing for Rao, senior advocate Ranjit Kumar argued that one account could not be reset as the US mobile number linked to it was deactivated.
He maintained that the deletion of data was done as per official protocol, citing a Review Committee meeting held on December 2, 2023.
Illegal surveillance allegations under probe
Rao faces allegations of orchestrating a large-scale illegal phone surveillance network during the previous BRS regime. He allegedly formed a special team within the SIB to tap the phones of individuals perceived as working against the government.
Those reportedly targeted include Congress and BJP leaders, businessmen, celebrities, journalists, civil society members and even judges. The scandal surfaced in March 2024 after the arrest of former DSP D Praneeth Rao, acting on a complaint from his superior.
Subsequently, police arrested retired DCP P Radha Kishan Rao and additional SPs N Bhujanga Rao and M Thirupathanna.
Return from the US after court intervention
Following the BRS defeat in the 2023 elections, Prabhakar Rao resigned and left for the United States just before the case was registered.
On May 29, the Supreme Court directed authorities to issue an emergency travel document to facilitate his return. In line with his undertaking to the court, he returned to India on June 8 and has now surrendered before the SIT.
