Hyderabad: SIT officials probing the Telangana phone tapping case have seized one mobile phone from former Special Intelligence Bureau chief security and vigilance officer Prabhakar Rao, identified as the main accused in the investigation.
Rao, who appeared before the SIT at its Jubilee Hills office on Tuesday morning, handed over one of the phones he carried. Investigators had previously identified that he used three separate phones during the 2023 Assembly elections and had repeatedly asked him to submit them.
He returned from the United States following the Supreme Court’s directions and was questioned about the devices during his initial appearance. He had delayed handing them over until now. SIT sources said the phone submitted on Tuesday appeared to have had its data wiped. Rao reportedly claimed he left another phone in the US. The SIT has directed him to retrieve and submit it.
Rao was questioned on multiple aspects, including the rationale behind tapping several individuals’ phones. According to officials, he failed to provide clear answers. The SIT has asked him to appear again for further questioning on Wednesday.
In a related development, the SIT issued a notice under Section 160 CrPC to MLC Chintapandu Naveen Kumar alias Teenmaar Mallanna, directing him to appear for questioning on July 17. The SIT is in the process of recording statements from politicians named in the political tapping list.
