In a crucial development in the phone tapping investigation, media house owner and key accused Aruvela Shravan Kumar Rao appeared before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) for questioning on Saturday (March 29, 2025).
After spending nearly a year abroad, Mr. Rao landed in Hyderabad from Dubai in the early hours of Saturday and appeared at the Jubilee Hills ACP office.
According to a senior official involved in the probe, Mr. Rao was questioned from 11.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. but remained evasive. “He was dodging questions and was not cooperative. After being away from the case and the country for a year, he came well-prepared,” an official said.
Mr. Rao, named as accused number 6 in the case, had initially fled to London following the registration of the case at Panjagutta Police Station on March 10, 2024, and later moved to the U.S., evading questioning.
His prolonged absence led to the issue of a Red Corner Notice against him. However, after filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenging the Telangana High Court’s denial of anticipatory bail, the apex court directed that he should not be arrested but must cooperate with the investigation.
Along with Mr. Rao, a Red Corner Notice was also issued against former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) Chief T. Prabhakar Rao, another accused in the case.
The phone tapping scandal came to light following the arrest of former DSP Praneeth Rao of the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) on March 13, 2024. Panjagutta police took him into custody from his residence in Rajanna-Sircilla district after his superior, Additional SP D. Ramesh, filed a complaint accusing him of illegally intercepting the calls of prominent political leaders and officials.
Published – March 30, 2025 03:20 am IST