HYDERABAD: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) found former Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) chief T Prabhakar Rao a tough nut to crack during his questioning at the Jubilee Hills police station on Monday in the alleged phone-tapping case.
Investigating Officer P Venkatagiri and other SIT officials questioned the former SIB chief for nearly eight hours on his alleged role in the illegal tapping of phones and collection of call detail records of various high-profile people, including High Court judges.
He was also asked why he travelled to the US from Tirupati, and who he spoke to on March 9, 2024, the day before a case was registered in Panjagutta police station.
Ex-SIB chief says only ‘Review Committee’ clears tapping requests
Prabhakar Rao returned to Hyderabad from the United States on Sunday night after being granted interim protection from arrest by the Supreme Court.
As per the court’s guidelines, Prabhakar Rao was required to appear within three days of his return getting his travel documents. Accordingly, he presented himself for questioning on Monday.
Sources said Prabhakar Rao was not fully cooperative during the questioning. In response to the queries, he reportedly claimed that all phone tapping activities were carried out with the approval of a ‘Review Committee’. He reportedly maintained that no unauthorised surveillance had taken place and that all actions, including the destruction of hard drives, were done with the committee’s consent. According to him, the committee comprised the chief secretary and two other officers of secretary rank.
Prabhakar Rao also reportedly told investigators that the case against him was politically motivated.
The SIT is said to have raised questions about why Prabhakar Rao directed Praneeth Rao to meet Sravan Rao following instructions from a former minister. They also questioned what action was taken based on the report submitted by Sravan Rao.
Further, the SIT is reported to have questioned him about the alleged targeting of Congress leaders, including the then TPCC president and now Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, and his family’s contacts during the previous BRS government.
The team also sought details about WhatsApp groups purportedly created in connection with election activities.
Investigators presented evidence recovered from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and posed several related questions to Prabhakar Rao.
At certain points during the interrogation, the former SIB chief is said to have challenged the investigators, insisting that all actions were taken with the review committee’s consent and questioning why action was not being taken against other officials and committee members.
The SIT also questioned him about alleged surveillance activities during the 2023 Assembly elections and other by-elections held in the second term of the BRS government. He was asked how many individuals were monitored, who was responsible for selecting these targets, and who had ordered the surveillance of certain political figures.
After nearly eight hours of questioning, the police instructed Prabhakar Rao to appear again for further questioning on Wednesday.