Former BRS MLA appears before police in phone-tapping case

Former BRS MLA Chirumarthi Lingaiah appeared before the Hyderabad police on Thursday, after being summoned in connection with the phone-tapping case.

The police are investigating allegations of phone tapping that occurred during the previous BRS regime. Lingaiah was initially issued a notice on November 9 to appear before the Investigation Officer (IO) on November 11. However, citing health reasons, he requested an extension and was allowed to appear on November 14.

After completing his questioning, Lingaiah told media that he had received the notice on November 9 and had responded to the questions posed by the police. He added that he would appear before the authorities whenever required.

In response to a question, Lingaiah acknowledged that he had spoken to one of the police officials involved in the case during an earlier by-poll campaign.

Lingaiah is the first non-police official to be summoned as part of the ongoing investigation.

Since March 13, the Hyderabad police have arrested four officials, including a suspended DSP of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), two suspended Additional Superintendents of Police, and a former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). They are accused of erasing intelligence data from electronic devices and involvement in phone tapping during the previous BRS government.

The former head of the SIB in Telangana and another accused are currently absconding and are suspected to be in the United States. The arrested officials reportedly created profiles of hundreds of individuals and intercepted phone calls, including those of political leaders, a High Court judge, and his family members, according to police sources.