Hyderabad: The probe into mass “mobile tapping” done by the accused Special Investigation Branch (SIB) DSP D. Praneeth Kumar and his team is being monitored by DGP Ravi Gupta.
The case has been transferred to ACP Jubilee Hills with West Zone DCP M. Vijay Kumar leading the investigation that is being monitored by the DGP.
Apart from this as the phones of prominent BJP leaders have been tapped, the Central home ministry is also monitoring the investigation.
On the DGP’s direction, a special investigation team (SIT) comprising selected officers from law and order, task force, SIB, IT and FSL teams will coordinate in investigating and collecting physical and technical evidence from the accused persons, sources disclosed.
Reliable sources also disclosed that Praneeth, on the directions of the then government, during a liquor scam, allegedly tapped the phones of enforcement directorate officials and prominent BJP leaders.
Special teams on Tuesday headed from the city in two private number plate silver colour cars one with bearing number TS07 HP 3411 in which the police officials in mufti nabbed Praneeth from his house in Rajanna Sircilla district and brought him back to the city to a safe place for interrogation.
After the DGP suspended Praneeth as DSP, SIB, Rajanna Sircilla district, directing him not to leave the district, he was kept under surveillance, and his movements, location and cellphone were also under surveillance, police sources disclosed.
On Wednesday, he was taken to the war rooms at the SIB office. During questioning, he reportedly confessed to having tripped off the main power switch of the SIB building with the help of an electrician, replacing data stored with hard disks and pen drives, and destroying the evidence.
Based on his confession, officials recorded his statement and identified his associates from the city, Rajanna Sircilla, and Warangal districts. Further investigation will continue under the direction of West Zone DCP, a police officer said.
However, police already managed to collect Praneeth’s mobile data, contacts, WhatsApp chats, and CDR even before nabbing him and put him in a sequence of questioning on the calls made and data sent to various persons from 2018 till December 4, 2023.
Sources also disclosed that Praneeth and his team had set up a secret war room at a school in Jubilee Hills where he not only tapped mobile phones of political leaders but also used the SIB equipment in tracking location of many people and was sponsored by real estate mafia in which Praneeth was given huge amount of money, sources disclosed adding that he used crores of rupees of party funds in the districts using police vehicles and his power during Assembly elections.
