4 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jan 24, 2026 08:22 AM IST
Telangana Police sources told The Indian Express that all the questions were connected to the phone-tapping case. “Questions were asked about electoral bonds because we have evidence that money was extorted,” a top police source claimed.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) questioned Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao on matters connected to electoral bonds, his travel details, land allotment during the BRS tenure, social media activities of the BRS, and issues pertaining to his tenure as a Telangana minister from 2014 to 2023, The Indian Express has learnt.
This is the first time that the SIT has questioned KTR, a former minister for Panchayat Raj, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Industries and Information Technology and Communications in Telangana, since it began its investigation into the alleged phone-tapping case in 2024.
KTR was summoned for questioning on Friday morning by the SIT headed by Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar. A press release issued by the Hyderabad police, meanwhile, stated that the questioning was in connection with “allegations of widespread unauthorised and illegal phone surveillance and interception involving thousands of citizens from all walks of life, including politicians, businesspersons, journalists, judiciary and other eminent personalities”.
KTR is the son of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
The accused in the phone tapping case are former Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) chief and IPS officer T Prabhakar Rao; Deputy Superintendent of Police D Praneeth Rao; Additional Superintendents of Police M Thirupathanna and N Bhujanga Rao; former Superintendent of Police P Radhakishan Rao; and a TV channel owner, A Shravan Kumar Rao.
Those allegedly snooped on during the BRS tenure included politicians, party workers, bureaucrats, businessmen, a sitting High Court judge, as well as their spouses, drivers and even childhood friends, according to a perusal of official documents and detailed conversations with investigators. A chargesheet in the case was filed on June 8, 2024.
The case is that while the mandate of the SIB, which was set up in 1990, is to track and prevent the activities of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), “at least 600 numbers were found to be unrelated to Left Wing Extremism or the CPI (Maoist)”, highly placed sources said. “When probe agencies investigated further, they were found to be the [phone] numbers of politicians, bureaucrats, political party workers, businessmen and others from different walks of life,” a highly placed source said.
According to sources, KTR was asked whether certain industrialists were pressured into purchasing electoral bonds for his party, the BRS. SIT sleuths also questioned him about his travel history, it is learnt. Questions were asked about land allotments made during the BRS rule in the state, and KTR is believed to have answered most questions, it is learnt. “He denied any involvement in phone tapping or any other illegal activity,” a Telangana police source said. During the seven-hour-long interrogation, a tea break and a lunch break were given.
Telangana Police sources told The Indian Express that all the questions were connected to the phone-tapping case. “Questions were asked about electoral bonds because we have evidence that money was extorted,” a top police source claimed.
When contacted, KTR’s office said that the former minister had answered all pertinent questions. “But in KTR’s opinion, many of the questions were unconnected with the phone tapping case, and KTR said that he is not required to answer these questions because they were unrelated. The SIT failed to explain the motive behind these questions and their link with the phone tapping case,” KTR’s office said.
Hyderabad Police, however, denied this claim, stating that all the questions were based on evidence pertaining to the phone-tapping case.
Nikhila Henry is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Hyderabad. With a career spanning 17 years, she has established herself as an authoritative voice on South Indian affairs, specialising in the complex intersections of politics, education, and social justice.
Experience & Career: Nikhila commenced her journalism career in 2007 as an education correspondent for The Times of India in Hyderabad,where she gained recognition for her coverage of student politics. Her professional trajectory includes a four-year tenure at The Hindu, where she focused on minority affairs and social welfare. In 2019, she took on a leadership role as the South Bureau Chief for The Quint, where she directed regional coverage across all five South Indian states. Her expansive career also includes a tenure at the BBC in New Delhi and contributions to prestigious international outlets such as The Sunday Times (London) and HuffPost India.
Expertise & Focus Areas
Nikhila’s reportage is marked by a deep-seated understanding of grassroots movements and institutional policy. Her core focus areas include:
Regional Politics: Comprehensive analysis of the socio-political dynamics across South India.
Education & Student Movements: Chronicling the evolution of Indian academics and the rise of youth activism.
Minority Affairs: Rigorous reporting on the welfare, rights, and challenges facing marginalized communities.
National Beat: Elevating regional stories to national prominence through investigative and on-ground reporting.
Authoritativeness & Trust
A respected figure in Indian media, Nikhila is not only a seasoned reporter but also an accomplished author and editor. She authored the critically acclaimed book The Ferment: Youth Unrest in India and edited Caste is Not a Rumour, a collection of writings by Rohith Vemula. Her dual background in daily news reporting and long-form authorship allows her to provide readers with a nuanced, historically-informed perspective on contemporary Indian society.
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