Hyderabad: Former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the phone tapping case, was released by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday.
The former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who was questioned by the SIT for two weeks after the Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender, was released from Jubilee Hills Police Station.
The SIT is scheduled to submit its report on the custodial interrogation of Rao to the Supreme Court on January 16.
It was immediately not clear if the SIT will be seeking further custody of the accused.
The SIT is believed to have questioned him on why the then Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government posted him as SIB chief even after his retirement from service. The investigators suspect that this was done with ulterior motive.
The former IPS officer was also reported to have been grilled about his frequent meetings with then minister Harish Rao. He told the investigating officials that the meetings were aimed at briefing Harish Rao on the threats from Maoists.
SIT has also recorded the statements of then Director General of Police Mahender Reddy, former intelligence chiefs Naveen Chand and Anil Kumar, then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar.
Prabhakar Rao was allegedly reporting directly to then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR).
Prabhakar Rao surrendered before the investigating officer on December 12, a day after the Supreme Court directed him to surrender for custodial interrogation for a week.
When his police custody came to an end on December 18, the investigating authorities approached the Supreme Court seeking further extension of the custody on the ground that he was not cooperating in the probe and refusing to divulge key information.
The nine-member fresh SIT constituted by the Telangana government on December 18 questioned Prabhakar Rao.
The panel also grilled other accused – former Task Force DCP T. Radha Kishan Rao, Additional SP Mekala Thirupathanna and a television channel owner N. Sravan Kumar.
The SIT officials also quizzed Prabhakar Rao in the presence of another accused and former DSP D. Praneeth Rao.
A relative of Prabhakar Rao, K Nanda Kumar, an accused in the ‘poachgate’ case in which an attempt was allegedly made to poach MLAs, and some others were also questioned by the SIT over some suspected financial transactions.
Meanwhile, intelligence chief Vijay Kumar and Hyderabad Police Commissioner C. V. Sajjanar, who is supervising the SIT, discussed further course of action. The meeting assumed significance in view of the reports that SIT may summon former Chief Minister KCR and then ministers K. T. Rama Rao and Harish Rao for questioning.
The phone tapping case first surfaced on March 10, 2024, when D. Ramesh, the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of the SIB, registered a complaint with the police, accusing Deputy Superintendent of Police D Praneeth Rao of illegal phone tapping.
On March 13, 2024, the police arrested Praneeth Rao, and further investigations revealed a large-scale surveillance operation targeting various individuals, including political opponents, businessmen, journalists, and even judges.
The police have named six accused in the case, including former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao, DSP Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and N. Bhujanga Rao and former DCP Radha Kishan Rao, besides Sravan Kumar, a television channel owner.
Prabhakar Rao has been accused of orchestrating the illegal surveillance of several prominent individuals during the BRS rule. He had allegedly constituted a special team in the SIB to tap the phones of those working against the BRS government.
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)
