CBI summons police inspectors who tapped phones
BENGALURU: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths, probing the illegal phone interception case, sent out notices to 54 police inspectors in the state. The policemen have been summoned to meet the sleuths on November 4 and 5, with details of the phone calls they intercepted.
“The inspectors have been asked to come up with details like whose phones were intercepted, for how many days, the reasons, and under whose instructions had they tapped the phones,” an officer said.
According to sources, the CBI will question the inspectors not only on the phones they have tapped but will also seek documents regarding permission taken to tap a particular phone, and who had signed on the papers sanctioning phone-tapping. The sleuths will question why some names were included in the list of ‘suspicious’ people whose phones had to be tapped.
It was reported that a well-known pontiff’s name was included in the names of red sanders smugglers, and his phone was tapped too. “The CBI will question the inspectors concerned in this case, besides which there are many other pontiffs and politicians whose names have been inserted in the list of cricket bookies, drug peddlers, smugglers etc. All that needs to be verified,” said a police source.
Interestingly, the notice is not restricted to Bengaluru Police but also to officers from cities like Hubballi, Mysuru and Mangaluru. In all, 54 inspectors from across the state have been summoned to meet the CBI sleuths investigating the case.
The inspectors should also provide details of what was done after the phones of some particular people were intercepted. “The matter will be interesting, as the inspectors are not only supposed to give out details of names or reasons why they intercepted the phones, but also tell the officers what action was taken in these cases after the phones were tapped.
“The CBI sleuths will ask if the data collected by them was converted to a report and submitted to the department concerned,” explained a senior officer.