Hyderabad, January 22 (IANS). The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the phone tapping case has arrested Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) working president K. T. Rama Rao (KTR) has been summoned for questioning. The SIT issued a notice to him on Thursday directing him to appear before Assistant Police Commissioner P. Venkatagiri on Friday at 11 am.
The notice said that during the investigation it has emerged that KTR is familiar with the facts and circumstances of this case, hence his personal statement is necessary for the purpose of investigation. SIT has clarified that action will be taken as per law if notice is not followed without valid reason.
The notice to KTR has been issued at a time when senior BRS leader and former minister T. Harish Rao was interrogated by the SIT for about seven hours two days ago. This was the first time that a top BRS leader was questioned by the SIT in a phone tapping case.
The case pertains to alleged tapping of phones of political opponents, businessmen, journalists and even judges during the tenure of the BRS government.
After questioning, T. Harish Rao, while talking to the media, had claimed that he was informed by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law S. The summons was in retaliation for exposing Srijan Reddy’s alleged corruption. He also said that he asked more questions to the SIT officers than were asked to him.
The phone tapping case came to light in March 2024. An FIR was registered in this regard under various sections at Punjagutta police station in Hyderabad.
It is alleged that during the BRS regime, a special team was formed in the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), which was involved in tapping the phones of many people.
Former Special Intelligence Bureau chief T. Prabhakar Rao is the main accused in this case. The other accused include Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Praneeth Rao, Additional SP Tirupathanna and N. Bhujang Rao, former DCP Radha Kishan Rao and a television channel owner Shravan Kumar.
–IANS
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