The list of persons whose electronic devices were being tapped include the present chief minister of Telangana Revanth Reddy, and leaders of the Congress, BJP, and even BRS. Representational image: Wikimedia Commons
Telangana snoopgate: Senior cop arrested, makes big claim
The phone-tapping case involved collecting electronic data not just for political intelligence but also to blackmail political leaders, film celebrities, and private companies
In the Telangana snooping case, one of the police officers who was recently arrested, Radhakrishna Rao, revealed that the group of officers who have been arrested conspired under the leadership of T Prabhakar Rao to ensure that the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) remained in power in the state.
Prabhakar Rao was the State Intelligence Bureau head under the previous KCR regime in Telangana.
The arrested officer, Radhakrishna Rao, was Deputy Commissioner of Police in the Hyderabad city task force. He received two extensions in service after he retired.
The remand report filed by the police said that Radhakrishna told them that Bhujanga Rao, Tirupatanna, Venugopal Rao, and Praneeth Rao were in a conspiracy with Prabhakar Rao to make sure that the BRS continued in power in Telangana.
He also made the claim that during the 2018 and 2023 assembly elections, cash was transported in official vehicles.
Munugode by-poll in 2022
Giving the Munugode 2022 by-poll as an example of how the officers acted to make sure the BRS candidate would win, he said BJP’s Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy lost the election to Kusukuntla Prabhakar Reddy of the BRS. He said ₹3.5 crore had been confiscated from persons linked to Gopal Reddy based on intercepted calls.
Radkhakrishna Rao had a look-out notice against him, and was arrested after being questioned at a police station in Banjara Hills in Hyderabad. He was earlier the Chief Security Officer to the then chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. He told investigating officers that he acted on the directions of T Prabhakar Rao.
Primary accused
T Prabhakar Rao has been named as the primary accused and faces a look-out notice. He is currently in the United States, but there are reports that he will soon join the investigation.
The Telangana phone-tapping case that has shaken the state involved collecting electronic data not just for political intelligence but also to blackmail political leaders, film celebrities, and private companies. The list of persons whose electronic devices were being tapped include the present chief minister of Telangana Revanth Reddy, and leaders of the Congress, BJP, and even BRS.
