In a significant escalation of the high-profile illegal phone tapping investigation in Hyderabad, two of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government's most senior bureaucrats have been interrogated by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Top BRS-Era Officers Called as Witnesses
Former Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and former Intelligence chief Naveen Chand were served notices and questioned at the Jubilee Hills police station. This marks the first instance where officers of such high rank from the prior administration have been formally called in connection with the case.
Sources indicate the officers were questioned on a wide array of subjects. The core line of inquiry focused on the alleged illegal surveillance operation and, critically, who issued the instructions to the team that executed it. The SIT is piecing together the chain of command behind the purported spying.
Timeline and Key Roles Under Scrutiny
The tenures of the questioned officials are central to the probe. Somesh Kumar served as the state's top bureaucrat, the Chief Secretary, from December 2019 to January 2023. Naveen Chand headed the state intelligence apparatus from September 2016 to November 2020.
Notably, the prime accused in the case, former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T Prabhakar Rao, worked directly under Naveen Chand. Rao was later appointed as Chand's successor, holding the intelligence chief post for a few months before the change in government.
Expanding Net and Custodial Interrogations
This development signals a widening of the investigation's scope. Sources suggest that more senior officers who held pivotal positions during the BRS government and worked closely with it are likely to be summoned to record their statements in the coming days.
The probe, initiated by Hyderabad police based on a complaint from SIB officers after the Congress came to power in 2023, alleges that a clandestine team within the SIB engaged in unauthorized surveillance. The targets reportedly included current Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his family, sitting judges, and other prominent citizens. The complaint also mentions the destruction of hard disks containing evidence.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has extended the police custody of the main accused, T Prabhakar Rao, who will remain in custody until December 25. Prior to this, former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) P Rajasekhar Reddy was also interrogated by the authorities. The newly formed nine-member SIT has declined to comment publicly on the ongoing examinations.
