Former SIB DSP Praneeth Rao confessed to the Hyderabad police about his involvement in a phone-tapping operation, revealing that over 1,200 phones were tapped. These included phones belonging to judges, political leaders, opposition leaders, media personalities, journalists, and others.
Praneeth Rao admitted to using eight phones to stay in touch with staff, although only three were officially assigned. The tapping operation targeted those providing financial assistance to the opposition, with seized money being recorded as Hawala cash.
The tapping was carried out using Convergence Innovation Lab software, with assistance from SIB chief Prabhakar Rao. A total of 17 systems and 56 staff members were involved in the operation, which was halted after the elections.
After the Congress government came to power, Prabhakar Rao ordered the destruction of information related to the phone tapping. Over 50 new hard disks were brought in and replaced, with 17 containing crucial data being destroyed. All data on pen drives, hard disks, laptops, and other electronic devices was formatted and destroyed.
