Hyderabad: Tuesday saw a dramatic turn in the Telangana phone tapping case as former minister T. Harish Rao and others were arrested by the police.
Following a complaint from real estate entrepreneur G. Chakradhar Goud, a case was filed at Hyderabad’s Panjagutta Police Station against the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and others.
The complainant, who is also the founder of the Farmers First Foundation, has alleged harassment, intimidation and illegal phone surveillance. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 120(B) (criminal conspiracy), 386 (extortion), 409 (crime breach of trust), 506 (crime intimidation), and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act were the grounds on which Panjagutta Police filed a case.
According to Goud’s allegation, Harish Rao became jealous of him because of his altruistic activities, which included providing financial assistance to the families of farmers who had committed suicide. The complainant accused Harish Rao and associates of threatening him, fabricating cases, and surveilling his phone without permission.
According to Goud, he was connected to several false allegations, including a rape case. He claimed to have received threats and a warning to cease his political and charity activities.
When Deputy Superintendent of Police Praneeth Rao was arrested in March of this year after receiving a complaint from his superior, D. Ramesh, Additional SP of the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), the phone-tapping claims from the previous BRS government came to light.
Prabhakar Rao, the former head of the SIB, allegedly assembled a team of his trusted associates, including Praneeth Rao, to spy on opposing political figures, their families, governing party dissidents, journalists, businesspeople, and even judges.
Six suspects have been identified by the police thus far in the cases. The suspects are Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and Bhujanga Rao, and former DCP P. Radha Kishan Rao, who are in judicial custody.
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