SIT to Quiz KCR, Harish Rao Over Phone Taps
Harish Rao issued a stern warning to police officials to not act under pressure to please Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. He cautioned that those who crossed limits would eventually face consequences.
Hyderabad: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged phone-tapping scandal is seriously considering issuing notices to BRS president and former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and former minister T. Harish Rao very soon.
Union minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar welcomed the move, stating that the truth must come out regardless of stature or position. He has claimed to be a victim of the phone-tapping operation.
Harish Rao issued a stern warning to police officials to not act under pressure to please Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. He cautioned that those who crossed limits would eventually face consequences.
According to police sources, the SIT has shifted its focus from bureaucrats to the top BRS leadership after extensive questioning of the former officer on special duty (OSD) to T. Prabhakar Rao, the special intelligence bureau (SIB) chief during the BRS government.
During custodial interrogation, Prabhakar Rao is said to have disclosed names of senior leaders and officials who allegedly instructed him to organise a systematic phone-tapping operation. The investigation gained momentum after Director-General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy reinforced the SIT on December 18, appointing senior IPS officer and Hyderabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar to head the team along with nine other senior officials.
The SIT investigation officer has recorded statements of Prabhakar Rao’s associates, including Praneeth Rao, Radha Kishan Rao, Bhujanga Rao and Tirupatanna. These individuals had earlier, during questioning in August, allegedly named senior BRS leaders in their confessional statements, which were videographed and will be used as evidence in supplementary charge sheets and during prosecution, a senior officer confirmed.
Prabhakar Rao, currently in custody until December 25, will be produced again on December 26. He has reportedly named former DGP M. Mahender Reddy and former intelligence chief Anil Kumar, both of whom have already been questioned and their statements recorded.
The SIT is also likely to issue notices to A. Suman Kumar Rao, managing director of i-News, in connection with allegations that a secret war room for unauthorised phone tapping was operated from the channel’s premises at Banjara Hills.
SIT officials are reportedly planning to re-examine two former DGPs and the former Intelligence chief as part of a seven-step strategy to conclude the probe and file supplementary charge sheets soon.