The Hyderabad Police have arrested two extra senior police officers in reference to the Telangana telephone tapping case, PTI reported on Monday,
The case pertains to the alleged tapping of the telephones of a number of individuals, together with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy throughout the Meeting elections final 12 months, and destroying sure pc methods and official knowledge.
On March 13, D Praneeth Rao, a suspended deputy superintendent of police within the Particular Intelligence Bureau, was arrested within the case on a criticism filed by D Ramesh, further superintendent of police with the Particular Intelligence Bureau.
In an official launch, the police mentioned on Saturday that Extra Deputy Commissioner of Police Thirupathanna and Extra Superintendent of Police N Bhujanga Rao have been arrested for colluding with Praneeth Rao, reported PTI.
“Throughout the questioning, the 2 police officers have confessed about their involvement within the reported crimes together with conspiracy to observe non-public individuals illegally by creating their profiles abusing their official positions; to trigger disappearance of proof by destroying the general public property to hide their involvement in collusion with the already arrested D Praneeth Kumar alias Praneeth Rao, DSP [under suspension] and another individuals,” the discharge mentioned.
The 2 cops have been despatched to judicial custody until April 6, in line with The Hindu.
Former intelligence official allegedly concerned
The police’s remand report submitted earlier than a Hyderabad courtroom recorded the assertion ofPraneeth Rao, who was quoted as saying that he obtained concerned within the alleged telephone tapping and destroying of information on the directions of former Particular Intelligence Bureau chief T Prabhakar Rao, reported Deccan Chronicle.
“Prabhakar Rao informed me to get engaged in telephone tapping, he would deal with my promotion,” mentioned Praneeth Rao. “Tapped telephone numbers given by N Bhujanga Rao and Thirupatanna.”
He mentioned that throughout the Meeting elections, they tapped the telephones of “tons of of political leaders and monitored fund-raising by totally different events”. Praneeth Rao mentioned that these whose telephones have been tapped additionally included businessmen.
He additionally accepted that he destroyed the principle system and exhausting disks containing the snooping knowledge utilizing a cutter. “Broke exhausting disk units and threw them within the Musi river, burnt paperwork in two conflict rooms,” mentioned Praneeth Rao.
Bhujanga Rao mentioned that numbers given by leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi have been tapped. “Forwarded numbers given by [former task force deputy commissioner of police] Radha Kishan Rao to Praneeth Rao and Tirupatanna,” learn the remand report.
Allegations in opposition to Praneeth Rao
On March 10, the Punjagutta Police registered a prison case in opposition to Praneeth Rao, six days after he was suspended because the deputy superintendent of police over “gross misconduct” and “abuse of official place”.
In his criticism, D Ramesh mentioned that there was a regarding sample of Praneeth Rao’s behaviour throughout his time as an Inspector and later as deputy superintendent of police with the Particular Intelligence Bureau from 2018 to 2023, reported The Hindu.
Rao was concerned in dismantling and destroying knowledge in as many as 42 exhausting drives and changing them with new ones, he alleged. Ramesh additionally mentioned that Rao dismantled and destroyed tools containing knowledge by turning off the cameras on the evening of December 4, 2023, the day Bharat Rashtra Samithi misplaced the Meeting elections.
Police had filed a case underneath numerous related sections of the Indian Penal Code, together with breach of belief, prison trespass, tampering with proof, and prison conspiracy. Instances have been additionally filed underneath the Prevention of Destruction of Public Data Act 1984 and the Info Know-how Act.