KCR planned phone tapping: Ex-DCP
List of those phones tapped is out, journalist of a prominent Telugu news channel also involved in leaking info
HYDERABAD: Former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao personally planned and monitored the Moinabad farmhouse MLA poaching episode, if the confession by task force former DCP P. Radha Kishan Rao, who is in judicial remand in the phone-tapping case, is anything to go by.
Chandrashekar Rao even wanted to use the poaching case as a trade-off with the BJP and ensure that his daughter and MLC K. Kavitha’s name was removed from the Delhi liquor scam case, according to the confession.
The former task force official said in his confession statement: “Peddayana” (Chandrashekar Rao) wanted BJP national leader B.L. Santosh to be arrested (in the poaching case) so that the case becomes strong and BJP would come for compromise. Based on a tip-off from then MLA Pilot Rohith Reddy that some senior leaders of the BJP had contacted him with a proposal to switch over to the saffron party, Chandrashekar Rao asked for surveillance by the State Intelligence Bureau, Radha Kishan Rao claimed.
After interception of a few calls, Chandrashekar Rao ordered for a trap to be set up and strictly instructed Rohith Reddy to cooperate with the special team besides asking him to take three more MLAs from different communities to the Moinabad farm house, Radha Kishan Rao said.
The plan was successfully implemented and a local BJP leader, Nandu, and two other “swamijis” were arrested and the government formed a special investigation team, the former DCP said. However, “due to inefficiency of some Cyberabad police officials, an important person escaped the police net in Kerala,” said Radha Kishan Rao.
Though a special team led by superintendent of police Rema Rajeshwari was flown to Kerala on a chartered aircraft, the arrest could not be effected. “KCR was angry for not completing the work as per his expectation,” Radha Kishan Rao added.
Radha Kishan Rao also confessed that while working in the city task force, he “used to attend to all the important confidential works of CM KCR and his family members and some other close associates of CM KCR in the party (sic).” Further, he said in the confession statement, “Such works included settlement of civil disputes, arm-twisting certain persons creating trouble for TRS party and CM KCR and his family members, suppressing any type of dissent or protest or agitation against the TRS party and its government as peddayana (KCR) used to get irritated for even minor dissent or criticism also (sic).”
The phone-tapping case also took an interesting turn with another accused, former DSP N. Bhujanga Rao, revealing in his confession statement the links of former minister T. Harish Rao, nephew of Chandrashekar Rao, with another accused, A. Sravan Kumar Rao. According to Bhujanga Rao, during October-November 2023 “one Sravan Kumar of INews used to be in direct touch with Prabhakar Rao (former intelligence chief and kingpin of tapping) at the behest of T. Harish Rao, then minister.”
Bhujanga Rao disclosed that prominent figures under surveillance included MLC Shambipur Raju, (who is known for his proximity to BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao), former ministers T. Rajaiah and Kadiam Srihari of Warangal; Patnam Mahender Reddy and his wife, who were unhappy with then Tandur MLA Rohith Reddy, retired IPS officer R.S. Praveen Kumar, and media personalities NTV’s Narendra Chowdary and ABN's V. Radhakrishna.
The surveillance also extended to several opposition candidates, including K. Raghuveer Reddy, son of K. Jana Reddy of Nagarjunasagar; Saritha Thirupathaiah of Gadwal; Juvvadi Narsinga Rao of Korutla and Vamshi Krishna of Achampet.