Telangana phone-tapping: SIB ex-chief admits to political surveillance

HYDERABAD: In a large improvement successful the high-profile telephone tapping case, erstwhile main of Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), T Prabhakar Rao, admitted that a peculiar operations squad (SOT) wrong the SIB was engaged successful governmental surveillance during his tenure.

Rao maintained elder constabulary officials were afloat alert of these activities and did not sanction immoderate governmental person arsenic being involved.During a nine-hour-long interrogation connected Wednesday, Prabhakar Rao claimed helium continued arsenic SIB main aft his status successful June 2020 lone astatine the insistence of apical constabulary officials. He presented a two-page proposal missive from a elder serviceman backing his reappointment. Investigators focused connected the enactment of the SOT successful 2018, which Prabhakar Rao confirmed was tasked with governmental surveillance—far extracurricular SIB's archetypal anti-Naxal mandate.Prabhakar Rao asserted that helium acted nether the instructions of elder constabulary officials supra him successful the concatenation of command.He besides admitted that hard disks containing telephone tapping information were destroyed successful 2023, good earlier the mandated retention play and conscionable up of the Congress coming to power. He remained evasive connected whether the determination was made nether instructions from higher-ups successful the constabulary department, but made nary notation of immoderate engagement by the governmental leadership.

The case, registered astatine Punjagutta constabulary presumption connected March 10, 2024, has raised superior questions astir privateness and the alleged misuse of authorities quality for governmental purposes. Prabhakar Rao had fled to the United States via Chennai soon aft the probe began. However, connected June 8, pursuing a Supreme Court bid restoring his passport and granting him extortion from arrest, helium returned to India and appeared earlier investigators connected June 9.In his latest circular of questioning connected Wednesday, Rao appeared prepared, with responses intimately aligning with earlier tribunal submissions. He remained evasive erstwhile asked to sanction individuals who were nether surveillance, often citing deficiency of representation oregon knowledge.He said the SOT operated nether lawman superintendent of constabulary G Praneeth Rao's supervision and that delicate information was destroyed earlier its owed date. No physics devices were seized from him truthful far, but investigators are considering seeking written responses to clarify further points.Officials program to question Praneeth Rao again connected June 13, portion Prabhakar Rao volition look different circular of questioning connected June 14.