Exclusive: Telangana phone tapping probe widens, ‘thousands of call, IP records accessed illegally’
Telangana phone tapping case news: “We have evidence to prove that surveillance mechanisms were illegally used to extort money through electoral bonds,” an SIT source claimed.
3 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jan 28, 2026 06:09 PM IST
British Airways flight incident: The first to be called for questioning was former minister Harish Rao, who is KCR’s nephew, and the next was KCR’s son and former minister K Taraka Rama Rao (pictured above). (File Photo)
Telangana phone tapping case news: The investigation into the alleged tapping of phones belonging to several political leadersand others ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in Telangana has widened, with officers of the Special Investigation Team claiming that call data records (CDR) and internet protocol data records (IPDR) of thousands were also accessed illegally by the police’s Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) at the time.
“We have evidence to prove that surveillance mechanisms were illegally used to extort money through electoral bonds,” an SIT source claimed.
Sources in the SIT said police will now file a supplementary chargesheet in the case because of “fresh evidence” and “new information” received based on “revelations” by the accused.
Those accused in the tapping case are former SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao, iNews managing director Aruvela Shravan Kumar 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.
The case refers to the period when the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, under the leadership of then chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was in power. In recent days, the SIT probing the case has called some members of KCR’s family for questioning.
The first to be called was former minister Harish Rao, who is KCR’s nephew, and the next was KCR’s son and former minister K Taraka Rama Rao (KTR). On Tuesday, the SIT questioned J Santosh Rao, a former MP and another nephew of KCR.
BRS said in a statement that the SIT notices were issued as an “attention diversion” tactic, and that there was no evidence against any member of the BRS in this “false case”.
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Allegations of phone tapping first surfaced in March 2024, when an Additional Superintendent of Police of the SIB lodged a complaint at Hyderabad’s Punjagutta police station, accusing DSP Praneeth Rao of using illegal means to gather intelligence.
The SIB was set up in 1990 to track and prevent the activities of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). However, SIT sources have previously told The Indian Express that there is evidence that at least 600 phone numbers tapped by SIB under Prabhakar Rao were not related to Left-wing extremism.
“Now, there is more evidence in the case. Apart from tapping phones of at least 600 people, call data records and internet protocol data records of thousands were allegedly accessed by the SIB illegally. This also amounts to illegal surveillance, and hence the scope of the supplementary chargesheet will be wider than the six accused in the current case,” an SIT source claimed.
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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