Phone Tapping Case: Former DSP Praneeth Rao admits to erasing data from 50 hard disks under Ex-SIB Chief's orders

Hyderabad: In a sensational revelation, former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Praneeth Rao, who was arrested in a phone tapping case for destroying crucial information, claimed to have acted under the orders of the former Chief of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Prabhakar Rao. This marks the first instance of Prabhakar Rao's name being listed as an accused in this case.

Police, after detaining Praneeth Rao for 20 hours for interrogation, presented him before a judge at 8 PM last night, following which he was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody and transferred to Chanchalguda Jail. Praneeth Rao faces allegations of turning off CCTV cameras and destroying vital information from computers after the BRS party's defeat in the Assembly elections, purportedly under Prabhakar Rao's orders as revealed during the investigation.

"I have erased the data contained in almost 50 hard disks at the SIB office and replaced them with new ones," Praneeth Rao reportedly stated in his confession at the Panjagutta Police Station. After a night-long operation, the police from Panjagutta took Praneeth Rao into custody from his home in Rajanna Sircilla district. Following a 20-hour interrogation, he was presented before a judge and subsequently remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.