Hyderabad: Former Special Intelligence Bureau chief Prabhakar Rao appeared before the SIT for the seventh time on Wednesday in connection with the Telangana phone tapping case, as investigators continue to probe alleged surveillance operations linked to the 2023 elections.
SIT officials questioned Rao at length, focusing on digital evidence and the mobile devices allegedly used during the surveillance period. Rao is reported to have used three phones. SIT recovered only one of them wiped of all data despite earlier notices directing him to submit all devices.
Rao reportedly told officials he had left two of his phones in the United States. However, SIT sources said the device he did hand over had been wiped clean fueling suspicions of evidence tampering.
The phone-tapping operation, which took place in November 2023, is believed to have targeted as many as 618 political figures. The SIT is examining whether Rao’s devices contain links to that operation and has based its line of questioning on statements from several political figures already examined in the case.
Investigators are treating Rao’s partial compliance with suspicion, as the remaining phones may hold data critical to understanding the operational chain.
