Telangana Phone Tapping Probe Widens: Thousands of Call and IP Records Illegally Accessed
The investigation into the alleged tapping of phones belonging to political leaders and others ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in Telangana has significantly expanded. Officers of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) have now claimed that call data records (CDR) and internet protocol data records (IPDR) of thousands of individuals were also accessed illegally by the police's Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) during that period.
Fresh Evidence and Supplementary Chargesheet
Sources within the SIT have revealed that police will file a supplementary chargesheet in the case due to "fresh evidence" and "new information" obtained based on revelations by the accused. An SIT source stated, "We have evidence to prove that surveillance mechanisms were illegally used to extort money through electoral bonds." This development indicates that the scope of the investigation is broader than initially thought, potentially implicating more individuals beyond the current six accused.
Questioning of KCR's Family Members
In recent developments, the SIT has called several members of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's (KCR) family for questioning:
- The first to be questioned was former minister Harish Rao, who is KCR's nephew.
- This was followed by KCR's son and former minister K Taraka Rama Rao (KTR).
- On Tuesday, the SIT questioned J Santosh Rao, a former MP and another nephew of KCR.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has responded to these developments with a statement claiming that the SIT notices were issued as an "attention diversion" tactic, and that there is no evidence against any BRS member in what they call a "false case."
Background of the Case and Accused Individuals
The phone tapping allegations first surfaced in March 2024 when an Additional Superintendent of Police of the SIB lodged a complaint at Hyderabad's Punjagutta police station. The complaint accused Deputy Superintendent of Police D Praneeth Rao of using illegal means to gather intelligence.
The case refers to the period when the BRS government, under KCR's leadership, was in power. Those accused in the tapping case include:
- Former SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao
- iNews managing director Aruvela Shravan Kumar Rao
- Deputy Superintendent of Police D Praneeth Rao
- Additional Superintendents of Police M Thirupathanna and N Bhujanga Rao
- Former Superintendent of Police P Radhakishan Rao
- A TV channel owner, A Shravan Kumar Rao
Expanding Scope of Illegal Surveillance
An SIT source provided further details about the expanding scope of the investigation: "Now, there is more evidence in the case. Apart from tapping phones of at least 600 people, call data records and internet protocol data records of thousands were allegedly accessed by the SIB illegally. This also amounts to illegal surveillance, and hence the scope of the supplementary chargesheet will be wider than the six accused in the current case."
This revelation is particularly significant because the SIB was originally established in 1990 to track and prevent activities of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). However, SIT sources have previously indicated that evidence shows at least 600 phone numbers tapped by the SIB under Prabhakar Rao were not related to Left-wing extremism, suggesting potential misuse of surveillance powers for political purposes.
The investigation continues to unfold as authorities examine the extent of illegal data access and surveillance activities that occurred during the critical period leading up to the 2023 Assembly elections in Telangana.
