The BRS party, led by K Chandrashekar Rao, is embroiled in a complex scandal following the revelation of alleged phone tapping of opposition leaders including the now Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, as well as celebrities and businessmen. Accusations of blackmail for party funding contributions have surfaced. In response to these allegations, three senior police officers have been detained, and a lookout notice is out for T Prabhakar Rao, the former intelligence bureau chief currently believed to be in the United States.
Additional Superintendents of Police, Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, have reportedly confessed to illegal surveillance and evidence destruction. Ravi Paul, a technical consultant, is implicated for allegedly setting up eavesdropping equipment near Reddy’s residence, imported from Israel without necessary Centre permissions. Meanwhile, lookout notices have been issued for a TV channel executive, Sharvan Rao, and a city task force officer, Radha Kishan Rao, who are also intertwined in the scandal involving surveillance of top businessmen and the private debacle of a celebrity couple.
In a separate complaint, Chief Minister Reddy was informed of an alleged kidnapping and forced property sign-off involving Sharan Chaudhary, a businessman cum BJP leader, by senior police officers linked to a former BRS minister. The accused officers in the phone tapping case, including those who have fled, are reported to be non-cooperative, and the investigation has led to confessions and the unearthing of a covert surveillance program targeting private individuals, spearheaded by suspended DSP D Praneeth Rao and other implicated officers.