Ex-SIB chief lands in city, to appear before SIT today

Hyderabad: The key accused in the phone tapping case, former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T Prabhakar Rao arrived in Hyderabad from the United States on Sunday. He is likely to appear before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday. The retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who has been in the US for 14 months, arrived in India as directed by the Supreme Court last week. Responding to the court orders, Prabhakar Rao gave an undertaking to the Supreme Court that he will return to India soon after receiving a one-time entry passport and cooperate with the investigation.

The Indian Embassy in the United States also issued an emergency transit warrant to former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao, following orders by the Supreme Court to appear before the inquiry into the phone tapping case.

The investigating team already achieved considerable progress in the phone tapping case by questioning the police officials and influential persons including journalists recently.

Prabhakar Rao had allegedly constituted a team within SIB with a group of officials, including Praneeth Rao, for surveillance of rival political leaders, their families and dissidents within the ruling party, businessmen, journalists and even judges. The allegations under the previous government of BRS came to light in March last year with the arrest of Deputy Superintendent of Police Praneeth Rao following a complaint from his superior, D Ramesh, Additional SP with the SIB. The police have so far named six accused in the case. Praneeth Rao, Additional SPs Thirupathanna and Bhujanga Rao and former DCP P Radha Kishan Rao were arrested in the case.