Mon Apr 07 15:45:33 UTC 2025: ## Retired IPS Officer Fled to US After Allegedly Orchestrating Widespread Phone Tapping
**Hyderabad, April 7, 2025** – A retired IPS officer, T. Prabhakar Rao, is accused of orchestrating a massive illegal phone tapping operation in Telangana, targeting judges, governors, and political opponents, before fleeing to the United States. This was revealed in a counter-affidavit filed in the High Court by the investigating officer, P. Venkatagiri.
The affidavit alleges that Rao, the prime accused, deliberately destroyed evidence before leaving India on March 10, 2024, the same day the First Information Report (FIR) was filed. He allegedly abused his position as Chief of Operations (CoO), a post he held after retirement, to illegally tap phones, exceeding the authority granted under the Telegraph Act.
The affidavit claims Rao used his position to install loyalists in key positions within the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), forming a secret Special Operations Team (SOT) that operated outside the usual SIB mandate, allegedly to benefit specific political leaders. This resulted in the destruction of crucial intelligence data gathered over years by the SIB.
The targets of the alleged phone tapping included political opponents of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party, dissidents, a High Court judge and his family, senior bureaucrats, businessmen, and journalists. The investigating officer contends that custodial interrogation of Rao is necessary to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy. A red-corner notice has been issued for Rao’s arrest. The court is currently considering his anticipatory bail application.
First Piper 