Phone Tapping Scandal Rocks Telangana: CM Reddy, Businessmen Among Those Allegedly Targeted, Here's What Has Happened So Far

Telangana has been rocked by recent allegations of phone tapping by state police officers during the tenure of former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.

It has been alleged that the phones of Opposition leaders, including current Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, celebrities, and businessmen, were tapped, with the surveillance possibly used for blackmail and fund collection, as per a report by NDTV.

The BRS has not yet responded to these allegations.

As of now, three senior police officers have been arrested in connection with the case, and a lookout notice has been issued against T Prabhakar Rao, former chief of the state intelligence bureau, who is reportedly in the US.

According to the same report, Ravi Paul, a technical consultant with the state intelligence bureau during the BRS government, facilitated the import and installation of phone-tapping equipment near Reddy's residence.

The equipment, allegedly imported from Israel without required permissions, could intercept conversations within a 300-metre range.

Further investigations are ongoing, with lookout notices issued for individuals associated with the alleged surveillance.

Additionally, businessman and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Saran Chowdary has accused senior police officers of kidnapping him last year and forcing him to transfer property to a relative of former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao.

Rao has denied these allegations, claiming he is being targeted as part of a political conspiracy.