Telangana phone-tapping case: CM may be listed as witness

A senior police officer said investigators had so far recorded statements of more than 600 witnesses.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Police are preparing to file a supplementary chargesheet by the end of this month in the Telangana phone tapping case, one of the state’s most politically charged investigations, and are considering recording the statement of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, whose phone was allegedly among those illegally intercepted during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government’s tenure.

The case was registered on March 10, 2024, under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and the Information Technology Act, three months after Congress returned to power, at Punjagutta Police Station. The case alleged that officials of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) had systematically tapped the phones of politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, journalists and even judges during the BRS regime. 

The intercepted conversations allegedly include recordings of the then-Opposition leader and current Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, real estate developers, bureaucrats and several media personalities.

A chargesheet filed in June 2024 named six accused, former SIB chief T Prabhakar Rao, Deputy Superintendent of Police D Praneeth Rao, Additional Superintendents N Bhujanga Rao and M Thirupathanna, former task force officer on special duty P Radha Kishan Rao and businessman A Shravan Kumar. Four police officials – Praneeth Rao, Thirupathanna, Bhujanga Rao and Radhakishan Rao – have been arrested and are currently in custody. Prabhakar Rao and Shravan Kumar had initially fled to the United States. 

Prabhakar Rao later surrendered in December 2025 and was questioned by the SIT for over eight hours.

The investigation has drawn in top political figures from the previous government. Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) appeared before the SIT in February 2026, as did BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR), former minister T Harish Rao and former Rajya Sabha member J Santosh Kumar, who were summoned to the SIT office at Jubilee Hills.

Where the probe stands

A senior police officer told The Times of India that investigators had so far recorded statements of more than 600 witnesses, including political leaders. “In the witness statements, there were a lot of allegations against politicians and some bureaucrats. We are collecting corroborative evidence to file a chargesheet by the end of August,” the officer said.

Investigators are currently matching material gathered from witness statements with documentary and digital evidence and verifying allegations before the supplementary chargesheet is filed. Based on the evidence collected, there is a possibility of more individuals being named as accused, TOI quoted police sources as saying. 

The supplementary chargesheet is expected to place additional evidence on record and provide further details on the alleged surveillance operations. Officials indicated that the probe has unearthed substantial material since the original chargesheet was filed in June 2024.