Photo Tapping Case: Accused Used 15 Cops, 30 Mediators to Blackmail Victims

Hyderabad: Around 15 police officers and over 30 mediators reportedly played a key role in the unauthorised tapping of phones of political representatives of different parties, businessmen and celebrities during the BRS rule.

The accused officers, including T. Prabhakar Rao, D. Praneeth Rao, N. Bhujanga Rao and Thirupatanna are presently lodged in Chanchalguda prison.

Prabhakar Rao’s aides like Praneet Kumar, Bhujanga Rao and Thirupatanna, along with other officers, used mediators to blackmail and extort money from the society's top brass, police sources said.

Some officers, reportedly involved in the case, and are absconding include OSDs Chandra Shekhar and Narsing Rao, former DSP Venugopal Rao, DSP Sampath Rao, former DIG P. Sivakumar and another inspector known in the department as ‘guru inspector’, sources said.

Bhujanga Rao disclosed that he forwarded numbers given to him by BRS leaders to Radha Kishan Rao and Praneet Kumar.

Panjagutta police on March 10, based on a complaint lodged by SIB officer D. Ramesh, on March 16 registered criminal cases against Praneet, who was suspended as DSP-SIB (SOT) in Rajanna Sircilla district.

During his seven-day police custody, Praneet revealed the names of Prabhakar, Bhujanga Rao and Thirupatanna who were arrested on March 23.

Arguments over the police custody of the three concluded at the Nampally criminal court on Wednesday. Police filed a request for five-day police custody of them. The council filed a counter on the police custody petition, while the court reserved the same for judgment.