Phone tapping probe: Ex-SIB chief Prabhakar Rao keeps mum on naming top officials, Hyderabad cops may seek SC nod for custodial grilling
T Prabhakar Rao, key accused in the phone tapping case, is not cooperating with the investigation. He is refusing to name involved officials and political leaders. Hyderabad police might seek revocation of his arrest protection.
HYDERABAD: Former chief of Special Intelligence Bureau, T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the sensational phone tapping case, has so far stonewalled investigators by refusing to name senior IPS officers or political leaders allegedly involved during the previous BRS regime.
Though he hinted that certain actions were carried out in coordination with top officials, Prabhakar Rao has remained tight-lipped on specifics, prompting Hyderabad police to consider seeking revocation of his Supreme Court-granted arrest protection.
With Prabhakar Rao allegedly not providing leads crucial to cracking the case, police plan to continue questioning him for a few more days. A final decision will soon be taken on approaching the apex court, which had earlier given him interim relief from arrest.
Officials are likely to inform the court of his non-cooperation and request permission to proceed with custodial interrogation.
So far, he has been interrogated three times. Other than referring to a letter from the then director general of police recommending his reappointment post-retirement-citing his experience in anti-Maoist operations-he has remained evasive, particularly when asked about the core allegations of surveillance.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Поза во сне может многое рассказать о вашем характере!
Удивительные Новости
Undo
He has refused to name the senior officers or political leadership allegedly involved in the phone tapping.
Investigators suspect that Prabhakar Rao was instrumental in setting up the now-disbanded special operations team (SOT), headed by then deputy superintendent of police D Praneeth Rao. The unit is believed to have tapped the phones of political opponents, including current chief minister A Revanth Reddy, senior BJP leaders, and dissidents within the BRS to help the ruling party during elections.
Meanwhile, after taking the witness statements of different phone tapping victims including Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, the investigators are going to take the statements of BJP MPs Eatala Rajender and M Raghunandan Rao, Haryana governor Bandaru Dattatreya, minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Congress leader Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy are among those expected to be questioned.
CM Revanth and his family members, whose phones were reportedly under surveillance, may also be asked to depose.
"Based on the phone numbers identified, police will reach out to those affected and collect detailed accounts of any harassment or damage-financial, legal, or personal-suffered due to the surveillance," sources familiar with the investigation told TOI. "Their statements will help build a watertight case," a source said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
Who is Karen Read? Boston woman acquitted of murdering cop boyfriend in 2022; jury declares her not guilty
Karen Read Karen Read, a 45-year-old financial analyst from Mansfield, Massachusetts, was found not guilty on Wednesday of second-degree murder, manslaughter, and leaving the scene of an accident in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe. The jury did find her guilty of operating under the influence (OUI), for which she received one year of probation under a standard Massachusetts alcohol-education programme. Karen Read Breaks Down After Verdict; Crowd Swarms, Cops Escort Her Verdict sparks strong reactions The verdict was met with cheers from hundreds gathered outside Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham. Read addressed her backers, saying, 'No one has fought harder for justice for John O'Keefe than I have. Than I have and my team.' She added she could not have stood trial without the support of those who stood by her 'financially and more importantly emotionally for almost four years.' Inside the courthouse, she hugged her lawyer Alan Jackson. In contrast, O'Keefe's family and close friends, including Jennifer McCabe and Brian Albert, issued a statement calling the decision a 'devastating miscarriage of justice,' blaming the outcome on defence-driven conspiracy theories and media narratives. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ibarra: Ecuatorianos: generen un segundo ingreso con Amazon CFD. InvestIQ Registrarse Undo Background of the fatal incident On the night of 28 January 2022, Read and O'Keefe, who had been in a relationship for two years, visited bars and attended a house party in Canton, Massachusetts. Early the next morning, O'Keefe was found unresponsive in the snow outside the home of a retired police officer. His death was attributed to blunt-force trauma and hypothermia. Conflicting accounts in court Prosecutors claimed Read struck O'Keefe with her Lexus SUV, citing vehicle damage and taillight fragments found near the scene. Witnesses also alleged she had admitted to hitting him. Blood-alcohol evidence indicated she was significantly over the legal limit. Read's defence argued she was framed. They claimed O'Keefe was attacked inside the house, possibly by a dog or during a fight, and that his body was later moved. They also highlighted misconduct by a key investigator, who had been removed after sending offensive texts about Read. Second trial follows mistrial The case first went to trial in April 2024 but ended in a mistrial after a hung jury. A retrial began in April 2025 and concluded on June 18, with Read acquitted of all serious charges. The only conviction remained the OUI charge. Civil suit continues Despite the criminal acquittal, O'Keefe's family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Read and two bars accused of over-serving her alcohol. That case is ongoing. The case has drawn national attention and fuelled debate about the influence of wealth and media on the justice system. Karen Read's legal team, supported by millions in funding, successfully argued that law enforcement wrongly targeted her to shield others.
Time of India
34 minutes ago
- Time of India
12-hour shifts for Bengaluru techies? Karnataka govt's proposal sparks outrage among IT unions, who call it 'modern-day slavery'
Representative Image NEW DELHI: The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) has called on workers across sectors to resist the state government's proposed move to increase daily working hours in the IT, ITeS, and BPO sectors to 12 hours. Several trade unions on Wednesday voiced strong opposition to the alleged proposal during a meeting convened by the Labour Department to discuss a possible amendment to the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act. The amendment reportedly seeks to increase the daily work limit from the current maximum of 10 hours, including overtime, to 12 hours. KITU, which participated in the meeting, described the proposal as a form of "modern-day slavery" and appealed to employees to unite in opposition. It warned that the change would severely impact work-life balance and job security. KITU leaders Suhas Adiga and Lenil Babu were among those who attended the meeting with industry representatives and labour officials. Noting that the law currently allows up to 10 working hours per day including overtime, KITU alleged that the amendment would "legalise 12-hour shifts and facilitate a two-shift system, potentially eliminating one-third of the workforce." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like USDJPY đang đi lên không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The union also claimed that the move prioritises corporate profits over employee welfare. 'The government is attempting to normalise inhuman conditions. This amendment is not about productivity—it's about pleasing corporate bosses by turning human beings into machines,' said Suhas Adiga. KITU also cited mental health concerns, pointing to the findings of the State Emotional Wellbeing Report 2024, which stated that 90 per cent of corporate employees under 25 suffer from anxiety. The union reiterated its stance that the proposed change undermines workers' fundamental rights and vowed to continue resisting it.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
39 minutes ago
- Business Standard
BJP's bid to hide Keezhadi findings shows its hate for Tamil pride: Stalin
The BJP government's attempt to not accept the findings of the ancient excavation site of Keezhadi in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district by trying to put out of sight the final report only showed how much hatred it has for Tamil pride, Chief Minister M K Stalin alleged on Thursday. Despite all the studies backed with scientific results, the Central government, which was trying to hide the cultural pride of the Tamils' by delaying the publication of the Keezhadi excavation report, has failed to produce additional evidence even two years after the final report was submitted, he claimed. This, Stalin said in a letter to party workers. "Is a blatant attack by the BJP government on Tamil culture and pride." The BJP wanted to destroy the symbol of Dravidian culture by promoting the fictional Saraswati civilisation, which lacked credible evidence, while dismissing the proven antiquity of Tamil culture, the CM said. The artifacts obtained from Keezhadi site were subjected to world-class scientific research and proved. "The BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not accepted it. That is how much hatred for the Tamil pride is embedded in that party's policies," Stalin said. He further said, "As our leader Kalaignar (late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi) said, the BJP, which looks at Tamil with bitterness and hatred, is continuously trying to hide the glory of Tamil culture unearthed at the Keezhadi excavation site." The BJP government blatantly showed its hatred for Tamil culture by transferring the director who carried out the archaeological dig, Amarnath Ramakrishna, to Assam. Ramakrishna had submitted the initial report on the Keezhadi excavations to the Archaeological Survey of India in 2016 and he resumed work after a legal battle. "Through the Keezhadi excavations it is clear that the Vaigai River civilisation of the Tamils is approximately 2,500 to 3,000 years old. This is not just conceptual information," Stalin asserted. The objects dug out from Keezhadi were classified and sent to the best laboratories in the country and the world for scientific analysis, and based on that Ramakrishna submitted a 982-page final report in 2023. "Despite all these studies and scientific results, the BJP government is trying to hide the cultural pride of the Tamils by delaying the publication of the Keezhadi excavation results. It has failed to produce additional evidence even after two years since the final report was submitted," he claimed. He flayed the opposition AIADMK for being silent on the present action of the Centre as its leader Edappadi K Palaniswami has pawned' the AIADMK to the BJP. In his letter, Stalin said the protests by the DMK youth wing and the ruling party's allies in Chennai and Madurai condemning the Centre's alleged rejection of the report on Keezhadi on June 18, would continue in order to echo in New Delhi. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
