Maoist leader remanded in 14-day custody
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
During the investigation, the police came to know that Sri Vidya had left the Chhattisgarh forests in May and travelled to Mansoorabad. After staying secretly for a few days, she moved to Hyderabad in June, taking a house to rent in a multi-storey apartment block in the Youth Colony in Miyapur.
The Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of the Telangana police received a tip-off that the senior Maoist leader Sri Vidya was taking shelter in Hyderabad. Through their sources, the police discovered that she was staying in Miyapur.
The police are expected to submit a petition to the local court seeking permission for her custodial interrogation.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Daily Briefing: Tariff trouble and a snooping scandal
Good morning! It's yet another day of Trump tariff chaos. But first, let's look at the latest Express Investigation into 'illegal snooping' under the BRS regime in Telananga. The matter first came to light in March 2024, when an Additional Superintendent of Police of the state's Special Intelligence Bureau lodged a complaint against the now-former DSP for unauthorised phone tapping. In just 15 days leading up to the November 30, 2023, Assembly polls, at least 600 phones were tapped, including those of politicians, party workers, and even a High Court judge, among others. The case unravelled after a 'top secret' letter from Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. surfaced, asking whether it should continue surveillance on a list of numbers. Here's what we found. On that note, let's get to the rest of today's edition. Sowing fresh mayhem, US President Donald Trump has doubled the tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent — the highest worldwide, and at par with fellow BRICS member Brazil. Trump had earlier announced a 25 per cent tariff, which comes into effect today (August 7). He has offered a 21-day window before the additional 25 per cent tariff kicks in. India has criticised the action as 'unfair, unjustified and unreasonable'. The government said it would take 'all actions necessary' to 'protect its national interests'. Briefly: The additional tariffs were prompted by India's purchase of Russian oil, an issue that has triggered a volley of criticism from the US and other Western nations. India, in response, has flagged the US and the EU's continued trade with Russia. It also stated that the US had earlier endorsed its purchase of Russian oil to stabilise the global market. Red line: In reprimanding India, Trump has issued a warning to other countries. The latest executive order states that senior Trump administration officials can recommend action against countries importing Russian oil 'directly or indirectly', including the additional ad valorem import duty of 25 per cent. It is believed that by targeting Russia's trading partners, Trump hopes to force the Kremlin's hand in ending the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year. Looking ahead… With trade already dampened due to the tariff-related uncertainty, exporters warn that India cannot absorb the higher rates. Moreover, India loses its edge over most competitors, including China, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Notably, China is the largest buyer of Russian oil. Beijing is already in advanced stages of its negotiations with the US, and there are fears that it might buy concessions to escape the secondary tariffs. Meanwhile, India's own trade deal with the US has been stuck on New Delhi's refusal to open up sensitive sectors, such as agriculture, to the US. Interestingly, though, as my colleague Harish Damodaran reports, trade in farm produce between the two countries is booming and poised to touch a new record this year. Tragic: Flash floods and a debris avalanche on Tuesday have ravaged the town of Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand. At least 60 people are estimated to be missing, while two bodies have been recovered so far. Rescue operations are underway, complicated by heavy rains lashing the state. Dharali, the ground zero of the flash floods, is located in the fragile Bhagirathi eco-sensitive zone. Experts believe that unregulated activities, like construction on the river floodplains, could have worsened the disaster. 🎧 For more on the Uttarkashi floods, tune in to the latest '3 Things' podcast episode. Neighbourhood walk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be set to visit China after a long span of seven years for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, scheduled from August 31 to September 1. The meeting comes as India and China look to improve ties, especially in the face of rising tensions with the US. A nightmare? The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar's electoral rolls, just months away from the Assembly elections, has set off a political storm. RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad recently said that his party could 'consider boycotting' the polls altogether, while the Congress said 'every option' is open for discussion. In our Opinion pages today, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, S Y Quraishi, writes why boycotting elections is a 'political blunder'. '…in a democracy, absence is not protest — it is abdication.' Fraud trail: Industrialist Anil Ambani is once again under the scrutiny of investigative agencies, five years after he was questioned in the Yes Bank loan fraud case. The Enforcement Directorate suspects that thousands of crores of rupees, obtained in loans, were diverted to group companies and shell firms, bypassing norms. We explain the ED's case and actions against Ambani. While Saiyaara has been a hit at the Box Office, with fans crying (literally) in theatres, Dhadak 2's success has paled in comparison. But in his weekly column, 'Post Credits Scene', my colleague Rohan Naahar writes that Dhadak 2 may be the best Karan Johar production since Jigra. In an unusual comparison, Naahar writes that Shazia Iqbal's newest venture has more in common with Joaquin Phoenix's billion-dollar-grossing Joker movie than you'd imagine. That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow, Sonal Gupta Sonal Gupta is a Deputy Copy Editor on the news desk. She writes feature stories and explainers on a wide range of topics from art and culture to international affairs. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the 'best newsletter' category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023. She also edits our newly-launched pop culture section, Fresh Take. ... Read More
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Top-secret letters by telecom providers blew lid off ‘illegal surveillance' during BRS regime
On December 6, 2023, a routine letter from a telecom service provider reached Telangana's Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) office in Hyderabad. Called a reconciliation letter in official parlance, it was marked 'top secret' and addressed to the then DIG of SIB. Just three days earlier, a new government had stormed to power in the state, with the Congress led by Revanth Reddy ousting K Chandrashekar Rao's BRS. The letter asked whether the service provider, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, should continue legal interception or surveillance of a set of phone numbers. According to the letter, the numbers, included as an attachment, were under legal interception from November 16 to November 30, 2023 — the fortnight leading up to Assembly elections. Reconciliation letters are sent when the 15-day window of legal surveillance — or surveillance done in the interest of the state — expires and service providers need re-authorisation for another 15 days. This letter, and similar reconciliation letters for the same number of days sent by well-known private and public service providers to the SIB office, form the foundation of Telangana's case against five top police and intelligence officers and a TV channel operator, who are accused of indulging in the illegal surveillance of 600 individuals — using the state's anti-Naxal surveillance mechanisms — to benefit the BRS, The Indian Express has learnt. Those allegedly snooped on included politicians, party workers, bureaucrats, businessmen, a sitting High Court judge, as well as their spouses, drivers and even childhood friends, according to a perusal of official documents and detailed conversations with investigators. A chargesheet in the case was filed on June 8, 2024. According to investigators familiar with the probe and the chargesheet, the surveillance was carried out 'to ensure BRS's victory in the (Assembly) elections by monitoring potential political leaders of opponent parties as well as rebels in the BRS'. The reconciliation letter dated December 6, 2023, read, 'This is to inform you that during the above-mentioned period, we have received the request letters from legal interception of Mobile/IMEI/ILD numbers as per the attached details: Kindly confirm the authenticity of the said letters.' The telecom provider, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, did not respond to queries from The Indian Express. While the mandate of the SIB, which was set up in 1990, is to track and prevent the activities of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), 'at least 600 numbers were found to be unrelated to Left Wing Extremism or the CPI (Maoist)', highly placed sources said. 'When probe agencies investigated further, they were found to be the numbers of politicians, bureaucrats, political party workers, businessmen and others from different walks of life,' a highly placed source said. The accused The accused in the case are former SIB chief and IPS officer T Prabhakar 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, and a TV channel owner, A Shravan Kumar Rao. While the Supreme Court had given Prabhakar Rao protection from arrest until August 5, Praneeth Rao, Thirupathanna, Bhujanga Rao and Radhakishan Rao were arrested and are out on bail. A Shravan Kumar Rao is lodged in a Central prison in Hyderabad in connection with a different case. The BRS, which was earlier called Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), was in power in the newly formed state of Telangana for 10 years starting 2014. BRS leader and two-time Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao also held the state intelligence portfolio. It was when the BRS lost elections to the Congress on December 3, 2023, that the case against the six blew open. On December 4, a day after the election results were announced, SIB chief Prabhakar Rao resigned from his official post. The very same day, allegedly on his instructions, Praneeth Rao and others destroyed 62 hard disks from the SIB office in an attempt to destroy evidence, investigators said. According to investigators, in the destroyed and formatted electronic devices, some of which were recovered from the Musi river in Hyderabad, were 'political profiles of BRS opponents generated through intelligence gathered illegally using SIB's resources or the state's resources'. Under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, surveillance in the interest of public safety, in case of a public emergency or in cases of incitement against the state is allowed with due authorisation. According to investigators, in this case, the designated authority for authorisation was Prabhakar Rao, and the review committee comprising the Chief Secretary, Secretary of the General Administration Department and the Law Secretary followed his lead. The allegations of illegal phone tapping first surfaced on March 10, 2024, when an Additional Superintendent of Police of the SIB lodged a complaint at Hyderabad's Punjagutta police station, accusing DSP Praneeth Rao of using illegal means to gather intelligence and then destroying the evidence. It was this complaint that would eventually prompt investigators to revisit the letters sent by telecom service providers with the list of those who were allegedly surveilled. According to officials, the charges against the accused include criminal conspiracy, public servants misusing their official position, causing disappearance of evidence, cyber terrorism, unauthorised and illegal surveillance and monitoring of phones, etc of targeted political leaders, their staff, family members, businessmen and their employees and bureaucrats. The counter The Indian Express reached out to all six accused in the case. Mohith Rao, advocate of M Thirupathanna, said, 'The Hyderabad police's contention that phones were intercepted and listened to is wrong. All that was obtained were legal CDRs of people linked to LWE. Also, A-1's (Prabhakar Rao's) subordinates were merely following legal orders passed to them by him.' Aakriti Jain, advocate on record for Prabhakar Rao, said that her client 'stands by the arguments in the Special Leave Petition filed in the Supreme Court'. As per this petition, he is a decorated police officer who, as SIB chief, did not indulge in illegal surveillance. On the alleged destruction of evidence, the petition read, 'The incident cannot be attributed to the petitioner, who had already vacated office hours earlier.' According to the petition, Prabhakar Rao left the SIB office at 4 pm after tendering his resignation on December 4. When contacted, Dasouju Sravan Kumar, a BRS MLC and spokesperson, said, 'Governments indulge in legal surveillance to check anti-social elements, including extremists, that too as per the law. The question of illegal surveillance or targeting of political leaders or others does not arise without the sanction of the apex committee comprising the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary and the DGP. Unfortunately, the Hyderabad police, at the behest of the current Chief Minister, are on a futile fishing expedition which will not yield any results. They are trying to tarnish the image of the BRS leadership in the name of an investigation through an untenable and illegal SIT.'
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Time of India
9 Maoists lay down arms in Bijapur, 6 carried 24L bounty
Raipur: Nine Maoists, including six with a cumulative bounty of Rs 24 lakh, surrendered before police and paramilitary officials in Bijapur district of Bastar division in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday. The surrendered rebels included members of company number 1, platoon number 12 and 13 of Marh division, as well as members from the technical team of south Bastar division and DGN (Dhamtari-Gariaband-Nuapada) division. Among them were two area committee members, a DAKMS member, and a commander of the Bhoomkal militia. They were identified as Baksu Oyam carrying Rs 8 lakh bounty, active since 2007, a party member of company number 1, Budhram Potam, carrying cash reward of Rs 5 lakh, an ACM of platoon 12, active since 2000, Hidma alias Hiriya worth Rs 5 lakh, ACM of platoon 13, and those carrying Rs 2 lakh bounty were Mangu Uika alias Toggi from South Bastar's technical team, Roshan Karam alias Ajit from Chinnapalli area committee under DGN division and Manglu Podiyam, a party member from Bhairamgarh area committee. The others were DAKMS members Kamlu Hemla and Budhram Hemla, and Pandru Punem alias Padkhuta, Bhoomkal militia commander of Mankeli, active since 1997. The cadres cited disillusionment with the ideology, internal conflict within the organisation, and aspiration for a peaceful family life as key reasons for leaving the insurgency. Many also acknowledged that rapid infrastructure development, improved healthcare, education, and electricity access in remote villages influenced their decision. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Find These Bugs in Dahuk, Do Something Immediately Undo Police officials stated that since Jan 1, 2025, over 277 Maoists have surrendered, 310 have been arrested, and 131 have been killed in encounters in Bijapur district alone. The trend continues this year with 466 surrenders and 189 Maoists neutralised across Chhattisgarh. SP Jitendra Kumar Yadav urged remaining Maoists to abandon violence. "Return to the mainstream. The state govt is committed to giving you a life of dignity, safety, and opportunity," he said, appealing to Maoists to "reject extremist ideologies propagated by external elements" and embrace peace. Each surrendered Maoist was awarded Rs 50,000 as incentive under the state's surrender and rehabilitation policy. The surrender took place in presence of DIG Dantewada ange Kamalochan Kashyap, DIG CRPF Bijapur B S Negi, SP Bijapur Jitendra Kumar Yadav, and senior officers from the DRG, STF, and CoBRA battalions (201, 202, 210), and CRPF 199 & 85 battalions. Under the new rehabilitation programme, surrendered Maoists are supported with financial aid, housing, education, and job training.
