The SIT could not arrest him till 5 August as a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma granted Rao interim protection from coercive action, such as arrest, until further orders.
Published Jun 10, 2025 | 8:37 AM ⚊ Updated Jun 10, 2025 | 8:37 AM
T Prabhakar Rao.
Synopsis: Former chief of Telangana’s Special Intelligence Bureau T Prabhakar Rao appeared before the SIT in connection with the phone tapping case registered against him. The police grilled him for eight hours with questions based on the statements given by the other accused in the case.
T Prabhakar Rao, former chief of Telangana’s Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Jubilee Hills Police Station in Hyderabad on Monday, 9 June, in connection with the phone tapping case registered against him, after his return from the US on emergency travel documents a day earlier.
The police grilled him for eight hours with questions based on the statements given by the other accused in the case — M Tiurpatanna, D Praneeth Rao, N Bhujanga Rao and P Radhakishan Rao.
According to sources, the police framed questions based on the evidence they had gleaned so far in the case. The police asked him to appear before them once again on 11 June.
Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in a high-profile phone-tapping scandal, landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad on Sunday, in compliance with the Supreme Court order to face questioning in the case that has roiled Telangana’s political landscape for several months now.
The SIT could not arrest him till 5 August as the apex court bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma granted Rao interim protection from coercive action, such as arrest, until further orders.
The court directed the authorities to return Rao’s passport, which had been revoked, or provide emergency travel documents to enable his return to India from the US. The court also required Rao to appear before the investigating officer, scheduled the next hearing for 5 August and directed the investigating officer to submit a status report by that date.
His return marks a critical phase in the investigation, which alleges illegal surveillance of opposition leaders, journalists, businessmen and judges during the BRS government’s tenure under former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. The SIT aims to uncover details of the surveillance network and potential links to BRS leaders through Rao’s testimony.
The Supreme Court granted Rao interim protection from arrest on 29 May and ordered the restoration of his passport, which was revoked by the Ministry of External Affairs at Telangana Police’s request. The court directed him to appear before investigators within three days of receiving travel documents. Rao had been in the US since March 2024, citing medical treatment, after a lookout circular and Red Corner Notice were issued against him.
The phone-tapping case emerged in March 2024, following the Congress victory over the BRS in the December 2023 Assembly elections. On 13 March 2024, suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) D Praneeth Rao was arrested for illegally profiling and monitoring individuals, triggering a probe that implicated Prabhakar Rao as “Accused No. 1.”
Investigators allege Prabhakar Rao masterminded a Special Operations Team within the SIB, including Praneeth Rao, Additional Superintendents of Police (ASPs) N Bhujanga Rao and M Thirupathanna, and former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) P Radha Kishan Rao, to tap over one lakh phone calls using Israeli servers meant for tracking the movements of the Maoists. Targets allegedly included current Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, BJP members, BRS dissidents, and a high court judge.
Prabhakar Rao is also accused of ordering the destruction of 42 hard drives containing surveillance data on 4 December 2023, the day after the BRS’s electoral defeat, hours after resigning as Officer on Special Duty (Intelligence Wing).
Confessions from arrested officers, including Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, have supported the claims of Rao’s involvement. Besides, allegations of extortion from 36 businessmen, facilitated by the surveillance, have surfaced, with a separate complaint accusing Radha Kishan Rao of extorting crores of rupees.
Prabhakar Rao’s anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Telangana High Court on 2 May 2025, with Justice J Sreenivas Rao dismissing claims of malicious prosecution. Four co-accused were arrested and later released on bail.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
