Hyderabad, 18 December: Telangana Police on Thursday constituted a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar to investigate the alleged phone tapping case during the previous BRS government.
Director General of Police (DGP) B. Shivdhar Reddy issued orders to form the nine-member SIT.
The team members include Ramagundam Police Commissioner Amber Kishore Jha, Siddipet Police Commissioner S.M. Vijay Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rituraj, K. Narayan Reddy, Greyhounds Group Commander M. Ravinder Reddy, Additional DCP K.S. Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police P. Venkatgiri, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ch. Sridhar, and Nagendra Rao.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Jubilee Hills Venkatgiri will act as the investigation officer. He is leading the probe into the case registered last year in March at Punjagutta Police Station.
The DGP’s order stated that the SIT will complete the investigation and file the charge sheet at the earliest.
This development comes a week after former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao surrendered before the SIT headed by the ACP. The retired IPS officer surrendered on 12 December, following the Supreme Court’s directive for his custody and questioning.
The Supreme Court passed these orders while hearing Prabhakar Rao’s anticipatory bail plea.
Prabhakar Rao is accused of illegally spying on several prominent individuals during the BRS regime. He allegedly formed a special team within the SIB to tap phones of those opposing the BRS government.
The team is said to have tapped phones of Congress and BJP leaders, businessmen, celebrities, journalists, civil society members, and even judges.
The phone tapping allegations surfaced in March 2024 after a complaint by Prabhakar Rao’s senior led to the arrest of former Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Praneeth Rao.
Later, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Radha Kishan Rao and Additional Superintendent of Police N. Bhujanga Rao and M. Tirupathanna were also arrested.
Following BRS’s defeat in the 2023 elections, Prabhakar Rao resigned from his post and left for the United States just before the case was filed against him.
On 29 May 2025, the Supreme Court directed authorities to arrange emergency travel documents for Prabhakar Rao’s return. As per an undertaking to the Court, he returned to India on 8 June.
–
Lake City Update