The confessions have implicated several high-ranking officials and political figures, including former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
Published Jun 27, 2025 | 3:00 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 27, 2025 | 4:27 PM
BRS chief KCR.
Synopsis: The witnesses who are appearing before the SIT coming out with startling revelations on how they became victims of phone tapping under the BRS regime. The operation, allegedly orchestrated by the Special Intelligence Branch, targeted high-profile individuals, including political leaders, journalists, bureaucrats, and celebrities.
The Telangana phone tapping case has opened a Pandora’s box. The scope and extent of phone tapping operations are enlarging with each passing day, with witnesses who are appearing before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) coming out with startling revelations on how they became victims under the BRS regime.
The operation, allegedly orchestrated by the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), targeted high-profile individuals, including political leaders, journalists, bureaucrats, and celebrities. Under the pretext of monitoring the activists of Maoists, the accused in the case tapped the phones of those who were under their radar.
To tap their phones, the SIB reportedly misused the Indian Telegraph Act, Section 5(2), which empowers tapping of phones by the Union government or the states for, among others, public emergency or public safety, or to monitor Maoist activities, often classified as threats to national security or public order due to their association with insurgency and violence.
The ongoing SIT probe has been uncovering the operations from the confessions of the accused officials and from the accounts of the prominent witnesses who were victims.
The case involved the SIB supervising the tapping of more than 4,000 phone numbers, targeting a diverse group of high-profile individuals. The operation, which began as early as 2018, reportedly intensified during the 2021 Huzurabad by-poll and went on till the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections.
Prominent figures, including BJP MP Eatala Rajender, a former BRS minister, and current Telangana Congress president B Mahesh Kumar Goud, were among those whose phones were eavesdropped on. Rajender alleged his phone was tapped as early as 2018, aimed at undermining his electoral campaigns, contributing to his 2023 Assembly election defeat. Goud’s surveillance targeted his political activities, which allegedly reflected the BRS’s intent to monitor Opposition leaders.
There were also allegations that even the phones of BRS leaders, including former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s daughter and MLC K Kavitha and her family, were tapped.
This surveillance was linked to internal BRS tensions. In May this year, Kavitha publicly called out those working against her interests in the party, deeming them “coverts” and “demons” exposing the fault lines within BRS.
ABN Andhra Jyothi MD Vemuri Radhakrishna was also a key target, with his phone tapped before the 2023 elections. Radhakrishna provided evidence of surveillance on his movements, allegedly conducted through intelligence and task force officials.
The operation reportedly extended to real estate and construction businesspeople. The surveillance aimed to gather intelligence to pressure business tycoons into furthering BRS interests or contributing funds.
YSRCP leader YS Sharmila and BRS MLAs, including Pilot Rohith Reddy, were allegedly monitored. The surveillance of BRS MLAs was particularly intense during the 2022 Moinabad farmhouse case, where the SIB tracked communications to counter alleged BJP poaching attempts.
Several key accused individuals have provided confessions that shed light on the operation’s scale and the involvement of senior officials.
Among them was former Special SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao. He faced SIT questioning on 9 June and 11 June, after returning from the United States. He admitted to conducting the surveillance but claimed it was under orders from “higher officials,” implying top BRS leaders. His statements have prompted the SIT to investigate the chain of command.
The SIT also questioned D Praneeth Rao (Suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police). Arrested in March 2024, he confessed to tapping phones under Prabhakar Rao’s orders and destroying hard disks on 3 December 2023, the night of the Assembly election results, to eliminate evidence. His confession detailed the use of special leased lines and dedicated computer systems by the Special Operations Team (SOT) to facilitate the surveillance.
The SIT recorded the confession of former DCP P Radhakishan Rao. He provided information that the SIB monitored BRS MLAs and Opposition leaders to detect disloyalty or interactions with rival parties, particularly during the 2022 Moinabad farmhouse case.
He implicated Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), stating that the surveillance was part of a strategy to pressure the BJP into forcing the Union government to get K Kavitha off the Enforcement Directorate’s hook for her alleged role in the Delhi liquor policy case. Radhakishan Rao also admitted to targeting real estate businesspersons to secure financial advantages for the BRS.
Another accused police official, Bhujanga Rao, confessed that the SIB monitored family members of both Opposition and BRS leaders to identify potential defectors. His statements highlighted the pervasive nature of the surveillance, which created an atmosphere of fear, prompting leaders to use encrypted platforms like WhatsApp and Signal.
The confessions have implicated several high-ranking officials and political figures. For instance, Radhakishan Rao directly implicated KCR, alleging that he had authorised the surveillance of Opposition leaders.
KCR’s alleged admission during a press conference about the 2022 Moinabad farmhouse case, as claimed by Congress MLA Yennem Srinivas Reddy on 4 April 2024, suggested he approved phone tapping to gather evidence against BJP agents attempting to poach BRS MLAs.
Prabhakar Rao’s statements implicated Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari, who was part of a review committee that approved 618 phone numbers for tapping. Santhi Kumari reportedly told the SIT she was misled by Prabhakar Rao, which raised questions about oversight failures.
Prabhakar Rao’s claim of acting under “higher officials” has fueled speculation about the involvement of senior BRS figures, though no direct evidence has been confirmed.
The SIT has summoned several high-profile witnesses to record statements, who provided critical insights into the surveillance operation. Deposing before the SIT, BJP MP Eatala Rajender alleged on 24 June 2025 that his phone had been tapped since 2018 to undermine his campaigns.
He compared the BRS’s actions to the Emergency of 1975, accusing them of misusing intelligence resources meant for anti-terrorism efforts.
Telangana Congress President B Mahesh Kumar Goud, who also appeared as a witness on 17 June, condemned the BRS for targeting political leaders and celebrities, highlighting the operation’s impact on democratic processes.
BJP leader G Premender Reddy, testifying before the SIT, demanded stringent punishment for those responsible for listening to his conversations on the phone, emphasising the violation of privacy and political rights. Another witness, Boyinapalli Praveen Rao, a close aide of Union Minister of State (MoS) Bandi Sanjay, deposed as a witness, alleging surveillance during the 2023 elections to hinder the BJP’s campaigns.
Under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, unauthorised phone tapping is punishable under Section 25 with imprisonment for up to three years, or a fine, or both, for tampering with telegraph infrastructure to intercept communications. Under Section 26, it is punishable with imprisonment up to three years, or a fine, or both, for telegraph officers or employees unlawfully intercepting or disclosing messages.
The surveillance of high-profile individuals, including Kavitha’s family, Opposition leaders, and journalists, is seen as systemic abuse of power aimed at consolidating BRS’s political and financial dominance.
The confessions of Prabhakar Rao, Praneeth Rao, Radhakishan Rao, and Bhujanga Rao reveal a sophisticated operation. The ongoing SIT probe, bolstered by witness testimonies, is expanding to cover financial transactions, such as cash transports.
The phone tapping, which began as a routine investigation of vague allegations, is slowly becoming an indictment of the integrity of the previous BRS government. It remains to be seen how the BRS, which is trying to stage a comeback in the Telangana political space, would navigate the gathering storm.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
