Telangana police seek ex-DCP's custody in phone-tapping case

Hyderabad, April  (IANS) The Telangana police have sought the custody of former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Task Force, Radha Kishan Rao, for further questioning in a phone-tapping case.

The Nampally court took up hearing on the petition seeking custody of Radha Kishan Rao, who was arrested on Friday and remanded to judicial custody for two weeks.

The counsel for Radha Kishan Rao sought time to file a counter to the police petition. The court adjourned the hearing to Tuesday.

Rao is the fourth police officer arrested in the phone-tapping case, which came to light last month.

Meanwhile, the police in their remand report revealed that the Special Operations Team was created in the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) under the previous BRS government for surveillance of rival political leaders and their families and dissidents within the ruling party.

Former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao allegedly created the SOT with his trusted aides, including DSP D. Praneeth Rao.

After his superannuation in August 2020, Radha Kishan Rao was appointed Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Task Force.

On SIB chief’s orders, officials during the December 2018 Assembly elections gathered information and shared the same with Radha Kishan Rao. The Task Force seized Rs 70 lakh belonging to Anand Prasad, the TDP candidate from the Serilingampally constituency.

On Praneeth’s inputs, the team also seized Rs 1 crore during the 2020 Dubbaka by-election. The money belonged to a chit fund company in Siddipet, associated with the relatives and associates of BJP candidate M. Raghunandan Rao.

Similarly, during the Munugode by-election in October 2022, Rs 3.5 crore of BJP candidate Komatireddy Raja Gopal Reddy was intercepted and seized.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Sircilla constituency in-charge K.K. Mahender Reddy has submitted a petition to Hyderabad Police Commissioner Kottakota Srinivas Reddy, demanding a probe against the leaders of the previous BRS government who had issued orders for phone-tapping.

The previous government allegedly tapped phone conversations of politicians, film celebrities, and businessmen.

Alleging that a centre was established in the Sircilla constituency for phone-tapping, he demanded that Sicilla MLA K. T. Rama Rao be issued a notice for investigation.