Telangana phone-tapping: SIB ex-chief T Prabhakar Rao admits to political surveillance | Hyderabad News

HYDERABAD: In a major development in the high-profile phone tapping case, former chief of Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), T Prabhakar Rao, admitted that a special operations team (SOT) within the SIB was engaged in political surveillance during his tenure. Rao maintained senior police officials were fully aware of these activities and did not name any political leader as being involved.During a nine-hour-long interrogation on Wednesday, Prabhakar Rao claimed he continued as SIB chief after his retirement in June 2020 only at the insistence of top police officials. He presented a two-page recommendation letter from a senior officer backing his reappointment. Investigators focused on the formation of the SOT in 2018, which Prabhakar Rao confirmed was tasked with political surveillance—far outside SIB’s original anti-Naxal mandate.Prabhakar Rao asserted that he acted under the instructions of senior police officials above him in the chain of command.He also admitted that hard disks containing phone tapping data were destroyed in 2023, well before the mandated retention period and just ahead of the Congress coming to power. He remained evasive on whether the decision was made under instructions from higher-ups in the police department, but made no mention of any involvement by the political leadership.The case, registered at Punjagutta police station on March 10, 2024, has raised serious questions about privacy and the alleged misuse of state intelligence for political purposes. Prabhakar Rao had fled to the United States via Chennai shortly after the probe began. However, on June 8, following a Supreme Court order restoring his passport and granting him protection from arrest, he returned to India and appeared before investigators on June 9.In his latest round of questioning on Wednesday, Rao appeared prepared, with responses closely aligning with earlier court submissions. He remained evasive when asked to name individuals who were under surveillance, often citing lack of memory or knowledge.He said the SOT operated under deputy superintendent of police G Praneeth Rao’s supervision and that sensitive data was destroyed before its due date. No electronic devices were seized from him so far, but investigators are considering seeking written responses to clarify further points.Officials plan to question Praneeth Rao again on June 13, while Prabhakar Rao will face another round of questioning on June 14.