Phone tapping case: two expolice officers facing probe leave country

One of them left India within a couple of days of registration of FIR against suspended DSP Dugyala Praneeth Kumar; Telugu TV channel CEO, who allegedly helped the suspended DSP develop profiles of unidentified persons, also unavailable

Two retired police officers, whose statements the Hyderabad police wanted to record in the criminal case registered against suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Dugyala Praneeth Kumar, have gone into hiding.

Police officials probing the case against Praneeth Kumar, it is learnt, had found that one of them had left the country from Chennai airport within a couple of days of issuing the First Information Report against the suspended DSP who was eventually arrested. They are verifying reports that another retired police officer too left the country.

A Telugu TV channel CEO, who allegedly aided and abetted the suspended DSP (he was serving the SIB then) in developing profiles of unidentified persons and tracking them, too is not available. Teams sent by the Hyderabad police realised that even he too left the country.

Meanwhile, the West zone police of Hyderabad have decided to record statements of some more police officials of the ranks of DSPs and Additional SPs as part of the investigation.

The investigators reportedly stumbled upon evidence that these officials and the TV channel CEO helped monitor the profiles of some persons.

“As part of monitoring profiles, it appears some of them tapped phones in a selective manner. This angle is being probed thoroughly,” a top police seeking anonymity said. By tracking profiles of unidentified persons, these officials and the private person tried to learn to whom they were speaking with during 2023 Assembly elections time.

According to sources, the private person used his employees to gather additional information in this regard.

Sources in Hyderabad police said it was certain that some more police officers were likely to be questioned in this case.