Addl SP Bhujanga Rao gets interim bail in phone-tapping case

Hyderabad: A city court on Monday granted interim bail for 15 days on health grounds to suspended Additional SP N Bhujanga Rao in the phone-tapping case.

Rao was granted interim bail after he approached the court, seeking bail for cardiac treatment. Accepting his request, the court granted him interim bail. He is one of the four police officers and was named the second accused in the phone-tapping case. Rao had allegedly destroyed certain computer systems and official data. The case related to the alleged tapping of phones by politicians, businessmen, celebrities, and even some judges during the BRS government.

Several opposition leaders, including then Congress MP and present CM A Revanth Reddy, dissidents in the then ruling party, businessmen, journalists, and even judges, were among those whose phones were allegedly tapped by a team within the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB).

The phone-tapping and snooping row came to light after the BRS lost power to the Congress and an official in SIB, who was part of the operation, was found destroying the collected data. In March, a case was registered by the Punjagutta police after a petition was filed by an additional SP, SIB D Ramesh.

Former DSP Praneeth Rao was arrested for allegedly destroying hard discs and other data after the Congress came to power in December last year. The police later arrested Bhujanga Rao, Tirupathanna, and former DCP P Radhakishan Rao. However, the former chief of SIB T Prabhakar Rao, the main accused, denied the allegations against him. The retired IGP, who is in the US, communicated to the investigating officer that multiple health problems forced him to defer his return. He assured the police that he would fully cooperate in the investigation and answer all queries in person as soon as his health improved and upon his return to India.