Hyderabad: Police on Tuesday uncovered evidence linking BRS-regime officials to benefits obtained from phone tapping, marking the first concrete proof of their involvement.
It was revealed that buildings acquired by former SIB personnel were allegedly funded using money earned from the illicit operation.
According to sources, suspended DSP T. Praneeth Rao reportedly formed his own private gang to target businessmen and hawala operators, tapping their phones, and extorting money.
This occurred alongside his participation in the operation authorized by the main accused, T. Prabhakar Rao, former SIB chief, who is currently in the US.
The officers involved in the illegal tapping operation are said to possess villas in upscale neighborhoods, luxury cars, imported motorcycles, and land on the outskirts of the city, all obtained through extortion settlements resulting from blackmailing targets.
Praneeth Rao, along with additional DSP rank officials N. Bhujanga Rao and Thirupatanna, who are now under arrest, allegedly colluded with private gangs to gather information on prominent jewelers and extort them.
According to sources, jewelers import gold bricks from international markets, and the then SIB officials intercepted information about the arrival of gold consignments by monitoring their phones.
A jeweler recounted receiving threatening calls from unknown numbers, where callers would threaten to obstruct consignments at Customs. This forced jewelers to expend significant time, money, and effort to clear the gold.
In response to the threats, the jeweler community opted to pay off the troublemakers to avoid further complications, given the substantial value of the gold consignments.
On Tuesday, the police filed a petition in the Nampally court seeking custody of Praneeth Rao, Bhujanga Rao, and Thirupatanna. The court postponed the hearing until Wednesday.