Police deny external theft in Telangana Raj Bhavan; say colleague morphed image of woman employee

Hyderabad: Hyderabad police have refuted reports that outsiders broke into the Telangana Raj Bhavan and stole sensitive documents.

In an official statement, Panjagutta ACP S Mohan Kumar clarified that the alleged incident was an internal security breach involving a suspended employee, not an external theft.

The case came to light on May 10, when a female employee at Raj Bhavan filed a complaint stating that her photographs had been inappropriately morphed and shared with one of her colleagues, Srinivas. She came to know of the incident through the same colleague.

Following the complaint, police identified the accused as Srinivas (45), an IT hardware employee at Raj Bhavan. He was arrested on May 12 and remanded to judicial custody but was later released on bail.

Disciplinary procedures were initiated, and Raj Bhavan officials suspended Srinivas. However, during his suspension, he allegedly returned to the office premises and removed a hard disk from his previously used system, believed to contain the morphed images.

On May 14, the IT manager at Raj Bhavan filed a fresh complaint regarding the missing hardware. Police acted promptly, recovered the hard disk, and re-arrested Srinivas on May 15, after questioning.

The ACP strongly denied reports on vernacular media suggesting an external theft or the disappearance of sensitive government documents. He reiterated that the incidents were limited to an individual employee’s misconduct and not a breach of Raj Bhavan’s institutional security.

“The claims of outsiders entering Raj Bhavan and stealing important documents are completely false and baseless,” ACP Mohan Kumar said.