Suspect YSR govt bought Pegasus off the books, was targeted twice: Lokesh Naidu

TDP leader and son of Chandrababu Naidu says Jagan govt destroyed evidence when it became clear it was losing in Andhra Pradesh

TDP general secretary and son of party chief Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Lokesh. (X/@naralokesh)

Andhra Pradesh Chief minister designate N Chandrababu Naidu has sought a report from the Director General of Police (DGP) on whether Pegasus was used to tap the phones belonging to him and his son N Lokesh Naidu by the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy regime.

Lokesh Naidu told The Indian Express that he and Naidu were targeted twice and that they received alerts on their mobile phones. “I have been targeted twice, once during my Yuva Galam yatra in March 2023 and once this April during campaigning. We both received the alerts from Apple. We suspect that Pegasus was used by the Jagan government to tap our phones,” Lokesh said.

According to Lokesh, there were indications that the previous government acquired Pegasus off the books and operated it from a location outside the state. “We want to know from where it was procured and from which location it was operated and who all were targeted,” he said. Lokesh said that as it became clear that it was losing, the Jagan government destroyed evidence in some offices. He said that a police inquiry will reveal what has been erased.

His allegations come against the backdrop of the phone tapping case during the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) regime in Telangana, where some officials of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) led by then SIB DIG Prabhakar Rao allegedly tapped the phones and conducted electronic surveillance on Opposition political leaders and activists.

According to police sources, former Deputy Commissioner of Police (Task Force, Hyderabad City) P Radhakishan Rao has confessed to his involvement in the tapping of phones by some officers in the Telangana SIB when the BRS government was in power.

Sreenivas Janyala

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance. Expertise and Experience Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues: High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy. Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules. Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes. Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak. Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More

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