HYDERABAD: Nearly eight months after the phone-tapping scandal broke, the name of a former director general of police (DGP) has cropped up in the case now.
A highly-placed source told TNIE that a copy of a letter written during the 2023 Assembly polls by the then DGP to the Election Commission of India (ECI), asserting that no phones were tapped illegally, has been found on devices belonging to two accused in the case.
The source said that during the Assembly polls, some people had sent emails to the ECI, complaining that they believed that their phones were being illegally tapped. Acting on the emails, the election panel sought clarification from the then-DGP.
“Responding to the ECI’s queries, the then DGP sent a letter stating that the suspicions were baseless,” the source said, adding that a copy of this letter was subsequently discovered on the devices of Additional Superintendents of Police (ASPs) — Nayini Bhujanga Rao and Mekala Thirupathanna.
This information reportedly came to light after police received Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports.
During Thirupathanna’s bail hearing at the Telangana High Court, the public prosecutor, who represents the state government, told the court that the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) office tapped over 4,500 mobile phones between November 15 and November 30, 2023, the day the Assembly elections were held.
The Congress government has repeatedly argued in courts that this case pertains to abuse of power and deviation from official duties.
The case was initially registered on March 10, 2023.