Ex-Telangana SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao questioned in phone tapping case

Questioned for eight hours by SIT, he is accused of illegal surveillance; faces further interrogation on June 11

Hyderabad: Former chief of the Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), T Prabhakar Rao — the prime suspect in the phone tapping case — was questioned for nearly eight hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Jubilee Hills police station on Monday.

He has been summoned again for questioning on June 11.

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The SIT is probing Rao’s alleged role in establishing and operating an illegal surveillance network, as well as the misuse of state machinery during his tenure as SIB chief.

According to officials, Rao was interrogated by West Zone DCP SM Vijay Kumar and Jubilee Hills ACP Venkatagiri, based on statements from other suspects who have either been arrested or questioned in the case.

Rao, who had been evading questioning since the case was registered at the Punjagutta police station in March 2024, returned to India on Sunday via RGIA after spending over 15 months in the United States. He appeared before the SIT after the Supreme Court granted him interim protection from arrest.

With his appearance, all six suspects named in the case have now either been questioned or taken into custody.

Among them, four — D Praneeth Rao, Bhujanga Rao, M Thirupathanna, and Radha Kishan Rao — were arrested earlier and are currently out on bail. Another accused, Shravan Kumar Rao, also returned to India recently under similar legal protection.

According to SIT sources, the phones of a High Court judge, political leaders, journalists, and members of civil society were allegedly tapped under Rao’s direction.