Phone-Tapping Case: SIT to Treat Ex-SIB Chief Prabhakar Rao as Common Accused
The SIT led by Hyderabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar has grilled Prabhakar Rao 12 times at the Jubilee Hills SIT office since December 12. On December 18, the DGP appointed a new nine-member SIT.
Hyderabad: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the phone-tapping case has decided to treat former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao as a common suspect and deny him the privileges being accorded to him as a former IPS officer.
His extended custody will end on December 26, lending a sense of urgency to the SIT’s effort to complete his questioning.
As part of this, his questioning has been shifted at the Central Crime Station (CCS), unlike at the Jubilee Hills officer unlike earlier. “A change in atmosphere and facilities may play a major role,” a police officer explained.
Sources said that in an attempt to tighten the net, the SIT would question Prabhakar Rao in the presence of the other accused in the case: G. Praneeth Rao, B. Radha Kishan Rao, N. Bhujanga Rao and M. Thirupatanna. Their presence, the SIT believes, could unsettle Prabhakhar Rao.
Praneeth Rao and Radha Kishan Rao have reportedly named Prabhakar Rao in their statements. After his arrest, the SIT recovered crucial evidence from Praneeth Rao.
Having collected statements of the other accused, evidence of details of the phone-tapping war room and the attempted destruction of gadgets and storage devices, sources said the SIT was focusing on two main questions: The identity of the mastermind behind the conspiracy and those who directed the operations.
The SIT led by Hyderabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar has grilled Prabhakar Rao 12 times at the Jubilee Hills SIT office since December 12. On December 18, the DGP appointed a new nine-member SIT.
Earlier in the day, SIT chief and city police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar met with the investigators and exclusively the probe into the phone-tapping case. He directed the officials to prepare to file the chargesheet in the case.