Ex-Telangana Intelligence Chief Prabhakar Rao Surrenders Before SIT in Phone-Tapping Probe

Hyderabad, Dec 2025 : Former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief T. Prabhakar Rao on Friday surrendered before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sensational phone-tapping case. His surrender came a day after the Supreme Court directed him to submit himself for custodial interrogation.

Rao, a retired IPS officer, arrived at the Jubilee Hills Police Station early in the day and formally surrendered to the SIT. On Thursday, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan granted permission for his custodial interrogation for one week, emphasising strict safeguards during questioning.

The bench made it clear that Rao must not be subjected to any physical torture or undue hardship. It also allowed him access to home-cooked meals and regular medication throughout the interrogation period. These directives were issued while the court heard Rao’s plea seeking anticipatory bail.

Earlier, the top court had asked Prabhakar Rao to provide accurate login credentials for his iCloud and other cloud storage accounts after authorities complained of non-cooperation. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing Telangana, informed the court that Rao had reset passwords for only two out of five iCloud accounts. Investigators further alleged that he had destroyed several hard disks and dumped them in a river to wipe crucial evidence.

Defending Rao, senior advocate Ranjit Kumar argued that one of the accounts could not be reset because the US-based mobile number linked to it had been deactivated. He also maintained that the deletion of certain data followed standard protocols, claiming it was done based on the directions of the SIB Review Committee due to the sensitive nature of the information. Kumar said minutes of a December 2, 2023, meeting would support this claim.

Prabhakar Rao is at the centre of a major scandal involving illegal phone surveillance during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. Investigators allege that he formed a special unit within the SIB to monitor individuals perceived as political threats to the ruling dispensation at the time. Phones of Congress and BJP leaders, businessmen, journalists, civil society members, celebrities, and even judges were allegedly tapped.

The scandal surfaced in March 2024 after the arrest of former Deputy Superintendent of Police D. Praneeth Rao, who was accused of destroying evidence related to the covert surveillance operations. Subsequent arrests included retired Deputy Commissioner of Police P. Radha Kishan Rao and Additional SPs N. Bhujanga Rao and M. Thirupathanna.

Following the BRS’s electoral defeat in 2023, Prabhakar Rao resigned from his post and reportedly travelled to the United States shortly before a case was formally registered against him. On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court instructed authorities to facilitate an emergency travel document to ensure his return to India. Honouring the undertaking given to the court, he arrived back in the country on June 8.

With his surrender, the SIT is expected to intensify its probe into one of Telangana’s most high-profile surveillance scandals.

Team Maverick.