Hyderabad, Jan 4 (NationPress) – The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is investigating the phone tapping allegations in Telangana, has called upon BRS MLC K. Naveen Rao for an interrogation. The MLC presented himself to the SIT officials at the Jubilee Hills Police Station on Sunday.

This notice comes as speculation grows that the SIT may also summon former Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) President K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) alongside BRS Working President K. T. Rama Rao for questioning.

Allegations have surfaced suggesting that Naveen Rao maintained communication with Praneeth Rao and Sravan Kumar, both implicated in the ongoing case. Naveen has vehemently refuted these claims, describing them as part of a political maneuver aimed at damaging his image.

He has expressed his willingness to conclusively disprove these allegations, asserting that he has never had any direct or telephonic conversations with the accused.

The summoning of Naveen by the SIT marks a pivotal moment as the inquiry into the alleged phone tapping during the BRS administration intensifies.

Last month, the SIT interrogated T. Prabhakar Rao, the former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief who is the primary suspect in this phone-tapping scandal. The ex-Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was questioned for two weeks following a Supreme Court directive to surrender, and he was released on December 26.

The SIT's report concerning the custodial questioning of Rao is due to be submitted to the Supreme Court on January 16.

On December 18, the Telangana government formed a new nine-member SIT, which has already interrogated Prabhakar Rao.

The investigation has included testimonies from key figures such as the then Director General of Police Mahender Reddy, former intelligence heads Naveen Chand and Anil Kumar, and the former Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar.

Moreover, other accused persons have also been interrogated, including former Task Force DCP T. Radha Kishan Rao, Additional SP Mekala Thirupathanna, and a television channel owner N. Sravan Kumar.

Significantly, the SIT questioned Prabhakar Rao in the presence of another accused, former DSP D. Praneeth Rao.

The phone tapping controversy first emerged on March 10, when D. Ramesh, the Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of the SIB, filed a complaint accusing DSP Praneeth Rao of unlawful phone tapping.

On March 13, 2024, the police apprehended Praneeth Rao, leading to revelations of a large-scale surveillance operation targeting numerous individuals, including political adversaries, business figures, journalists, and even judges.

The police have implicated six individuals in this case, including former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao, DSP Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and N. Bhujanga Rao, former DCP Radha Kishan Rao, and Sravan Kumar, a television channel owner.

Prabhakar Rao is accused of orchestrating the illegal surveillance of several prominent figures during the BRS governance, allegedly forming a special team within the SIB to intercept communications of those opposing the BRS government.