Phone tapping case: Former Hyderabad Task Force DCP Radhakishan Rao arrested

Hyderabad: Police have arrested former DCP of Hyderabad Task Force Radhakishan Rao in the phone tapping case.

Rao continued to serve as OSD post-retirement. Rao was detained on Thursday night. He is set to be presented in court on Friday morning.

An investigation team led by West Zone DCP Vijaykumar interrogated him at the Banjara Hills police station. The interrogation was conducted under tight security to maintain confidentiality.

Rao is said to be the key accused in the case. On his direction, phone tapping was facilitated by suspended DSP Dugyala Praneet during their tenure at the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB).

Acting upon Praneet's testimony, searches were conducted at the residences of two additional SPs, retired IG Prabhakar Rao, and Sravan Rao, CEO of a media company, a few days ago.

Subsequently, two additional SPs, Bhujangarao and Thirupatanna, were arrested, while the three other individuals went into hiding. Later police issued lookout notices to prevent their possible escape abroad.

In an unexpected turn, Radhakishan Rao presented himself at the Banjara Hills police station on Thursday morning. During the interrogation, Rao was questioned about his directives to Praneet regarding phone tapping and the field operations carried out based on the obtained information.

The investigation also delved into the raids and accusations of extortion from traders. Reportedly, evidence has been gathered on these matters. Additionally, Gattumallu, a former Taskforce and SIB inspector, was summoned for questioning regarding the phone tapping case.

Radhakishan Rao and his team face multiple allegations, with the opposition accusing previous government leaders of exploiting the task force for political motives.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had previously leveled allegations against Rao.

Rao's tenure as ACP of Malkajigiri saw him embroiled in controversy following allegations regarding the suicide of a Congress leader, although he was cleared after investigation. Despite these controversies, Rao remained influential within the task force, prompting speculation about political patronage.

Recent developments have seen three more task force personnel detained by the police, with their phones seized. They are reportedly being interrogated for their involvement in field operations.

Furthermore, a driver associated with Praneet Rao and a constable is in police custody on suspicion of destroying hard disks at the SIB on December 4. They purportedly discarded them in Musi River.