HYDERABAD: Jubilee Hills ACP P Venkatagiri, the investigation officer (IO) in the case, questioned former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) officer Praneeth Rao on the second day of his seven-day-long custody at the Banjara Hills police station on Monday. After the scene reconstruction at the SIB logger room, the officer managed to gain critical information that is likely to help the investigation, sources said.
While Praneeth is alleged to have tapped several phones and profiles, the police have not confirmed whether the alleged tapping occurred with permission granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The absence of such permission has given rise to questions, yet the Indian Telegraph Act is not mentioned in the FIR filed by Punjagutta police.
Meanwhile, Praneeth’s mobile phone and laptop are under scrutiny. Officials are awaiting the retrieval of information from his personal devices. However, his diary has suggested that the owner of a TV news channel was involved in phone tapping, the sources said. It is reported that the owner procured devices specifically for tapping and provided them to Praneeth. Despite attempts by TNIE to contact officials for a comment, there has been no response.
Meanwhile, as Praneeth was operating from a separate logger room equipped with an exclusive internet connection and systems, the police are now investigating the 17 people who accessed the system to determine if they were departmental personnel or private individuals. ACP Venkatagiri and his team have already reconstructed the scene at the logger room and are progressing in their investigation, awaiting scientific evidence to further substantiate their findings.
Doubts arise
While Praneeth is alleged to have tapped several phones and profiles, the police have not confirmed whether the alleged tapping occurred with permission granted by the MHA. The absence of such permission has given rise to questions, yet the Indian Telegraph Act is not mentioned in the FIR filed by Punjagutta police.