Amidst the ongoing scrutiny surrounding the gripping phone interception saga in Telangana, inquiries have unearthed that central figure Prabhakar Rao, presently residing in the US, orchestrated a specialized squad to surveil opposition figures and dissidents within Telangana’s ruling faction during his tenure as IG and subsequently as OSD, as per informed sources.
Law enforcement has apprehended four individuals thus far in connection with the Telangana phone tapping debacle—former Deputy Commissioner of Police at the Commissioner’s Task Force, P Radhakrishna Rao, alongside Additional Superintendents of Police (SP) Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, and Deputy SP Praneeth Rao.
Insiders involved in the case’s investigation disclosed that during the interrogation of accused Radhakishan Rao, who held positions as DCP and OSD within the Hyderabad Task Force, key figure Prabhakar Rao assembled a specialized unit to monitor opposition leaders and dissidents within the ruling party.
Radhakishan Rao, arrested last Thursday, divulged during questioning that suspended DSP Praneeth Rao, one of the accused, was assigned by Prabhakar Rao to surveil the ruling party’s adversaries based on caste affiliations.
Notably, in 2014, following the ascent of BRS (then TRS) to power in Telangana, Prabhakar Rao was reassigned to the Intelligence Department in 2016, aligning with societal stratifications. Investigations into the phone tapping affair revealed Prabhakar Rao’s appointment of individuals from his social circle and former colleagues from various surveillance subdivisions.
Among them were Praneet Rao from Nalgonda district, Bhujanga Rao from Rachakonda Commissionerate, Venugopal Rao from Cyberabad, Thirupatanna from Hyderabad Commissionerate, and others. Prabhakar Rao enlisted them in the ‘Special Operations Team’ led by Praneeth Rao. It is reported that the team was established to monitor opposition leaders, their followers, and dissenters within the ruling party.
Accused Radhakishan Rao confessed during interrogation that he was appointed Task Force DCP in 2017 by BRS leadership to assert political influence and maintain control over Hyderabad city, per Prabhakar Rao’s directives, alongside societal dynamics.
According to Radhakishan Rao, upon his recommendation, Gattumallu was appointed as the Task Force CI of Western Mandal by the government. Following two years in the role until 2021, Radhakishan Rao revealed that Prabhakar Rao incorporated Gattumallu into SIB based on their mutual objectives (ensuring the continuation of BRS rule), sources revealed.
Subsequently, Prabhakar Rao, Bhujanga Rao, Venugopal Rao, and Praneeth Rao convened regularly to bolster BRS (then TRS) in the state and maintain party hegemony. To evade surveillance, the accused communicated through social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Snapchat, sources added.
Radhakishan Rao disclosed during questioning that Prabhakar Rao’s team was driven by the objective of reinstating BRS to power in the 2023 assembly elections and ensuring absolute control for the party leader.
Police remand reports outlined several key facets regarding Radhakishan Rao. He retired as Task Force DCP in August 2020, leveraging political influence and caste dynamics to secure a three-year tenure as OSD, subsequently extended for an additional three years.
Sources indicated that Prabhakar Rao, alongside political figures of the time, deemed Radhakishan Rao indispensable for maintaining control over the Hyderabad Commissionerate.
Investigations unveiled that Praneeth Rao, acting on Prabhakar Rao’s instructions, relayed information regarding monetary distribution during the 2018 elections to Radhakishan Rao. Task force personnel under Radhakishan Rao’s command confiscated Rs 70 lakhs from Anand Prasad, head of Bhavya Cements, contesting on behalf of Telugu Desam in the Serilingampally Legislative Assembly constituency at Paradise Hotel in Ramgopalpet police station in Hyderabad.
It was reported that during the 2020 Dubbaka by-election, Praneet Rao’s team conducted technical surveillance activities. Based on their intelligence, task force police, under Radhakishan Rao’s command, seized Rs1 crore cash from a chit fund company in Siddipet associated with the relatives of BJP candidate Raghunandan Rao.
Sources mentioned that accused Praneet Rao conducted technical surveillance during the 2022 Munugodu by-election as instructed by Prabhakar Rao. Acting on their information, Hyderabad Task Force Police confiscated Rs 3.5 crore from the followers of former BJP candidate Komati Reddy Rajagopal Reddy, namely Gunta Saikumar Reddy, Kunde Mahesh, D. Sandeep Kumar, M. Mahender, A. Anush Reddy, and Vennam Bharat, delivering it to Gandhinagar police.