Another former BRS MLA appears before police in phone-tapping case

Hyderabad, Nov 16 (IANS) Former Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA Jaipal Yadav appeared before the police on Saturday in the phone tapping case.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Jubilee Hills, questioned the BRS leader at his office.

Jaipal Yadav appeared before the investigating officer In response to the notice issued by police. The police are likely to record his statement. He is the second BRS leader to be questioned by the police in the sensational case.

Former MLA Chirumarthi Lingaiah appeared before the police on Thursday.

The police are summoning politicians based on call data of four accused already arrested in the case. Three suspended police officers and a retired police officer are already in judicial custody in the case which came to light in March. The BRS leaders are reportedly being questioned about new evidence that came to light in the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report.

Lingaiah was questioned about his alleged conversation over the phone with suspended Additional Superintendent of Police Mekala Thirupathanna, who is an accused in the case.

The FSL report revealed that some politicians, reportedly connected to the BRS, sent the phone numbers of a few individuals to the accused in the case.

At the time of filing the charge sheet, the police had not received the FSL report. Based on the FSL reports, police are summoning more people for examination.

Lingaiah, however, denied any involvement in phone tapping. The former MLA said he told officials that while it was a fact that he spoke to Thirupathanna, this does not mean that he was involved in phone tapping.

The phone-tapping allegations under the previous BRS government came to light in March with the arrest of the Special Intelligence Branch’s (ISB) former DSP Praneeth Rao following a complaint from his superior, Additional SP, SIB, D. Ramesh.

Then SIB chief, T. Prabhakar Rao had allegedly constituted a team within SIB with his trusted aides including Praneeth Rao for surveillance of rival political leaders and their families and dissidents within the ruling party. The police have so far named six accused. While Praneeth Rao, Thirupathanna, former DCP P. Radha Kishan Rao, and suspended Additional Superintendent of Police Bhujanga Rao are in judicial custody, Prabhakar Rao and A. Sravan Kumar, the CEO of a vernacular TV channel, are absconding.

–IANS

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