Hyderabad, Dec 18 (IANS) Telangana Police on Thursday constituted a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the overall supervision of Hyderabad Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar to probe the alleged phone tapping during the previous BRS regime
Director General of Police (DGP) B. Shivadhar Reddy issued an order, constituting the nine-member SIT.
Ramagundam Police Commissioner Ambar Kishore Jha, Siddipet Commissioner of Police S. M. Vijay Kumar. Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) Ritiraj, K. Narayan Reddy, Greyhounds Group Commander M. Ravinder Reddy, Additional DCP K. S. Rao, Assistant Commissioner of Police P. Venkatagiri, Deputy Superintendents of Police Ch. Sridhar and Nagender Rao are members of the SIT.
ACP, Jubilee Hills, Venkatagiri, will be the investigating officer. He has been heading the investigation into the case registered at Panjagutta Police Station in March last year.
The SIT shall complete the investigation in the case and file a charge sheet expeditiously, reads the order by the DGP.
The development came a week after Special Intelligence Bureau’s former chief T. Prabhakar Rao surrendered before the SIT headed by the ACP
The retired IPS official surrendered on December 12, a day after the Supreme Court directed him to surrender for custodial interrogation.
The court passed the orders while hearing Prabhakar Rao’s petition for anticipatory bail.
Prabhakar Rao has been accused of orchestrating the illegal surveillance of several prominent individuals during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule. He had allegedly constituted a special team in the SIB to tap the phones of those working against the BRS government.
The team allegedly tapped phones of Congress and BJP leaders, businessmen, celebrities, journalists, members of civil society and even judges.
The phone-taping allegations came to light in March 2024 with the arrest of former Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Praneeth Rao following a complaint from his superior.
Police later also arrested retired Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Radha Kishan Rao and additional superintendents of police N Bhujanga Rao and M. Thirupathanna.
After the defeat of the BRS in the 2023 elections, Prabhakar Rao resigned from his post. He had left for the US just before the case was registered against him.
The Supreme Court, on May 29, 2025, directed authorities to arrange an emergency travel document to enable Prabhakar Rao to return.
As per an undertaking given to the Supreme Court, Prabhakar Rao returned to India on June 8.
–IANS
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