Rajya Sabha MP K. Laxman led a delegation of BJP leaders, including former MLAs N.V.S.S. Prabhakar, Ch. Ramachandra Reddy, MLC N. Ramchander Rao, that met Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan urged him to seek a report from the Government and apprise the Union Home Ministry about illegal phone tapping during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime as it also warrants a thorough CBI investigation.
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor on Saturday, the party said the matter is also within the ambit of the Election Commission (EC) and narrated the sequence of events leading to the arrest of police officials responsible for the illegal activity and their subsequent disclosure about digital surveillance of Opposition party leaders and others between 2014 and 2023.
Four senior officials in the rank of ACP and DCP were arrested and the entire operation was masterminded by a retired police official who continued to head the intelligence wing even after retirement, as per the memorandum. The episode has raised serious questions about the security of the nation, breach of privacy, safety and liberty of the citizens. About 36 business persons were reportedly subjected to massive extortion and some were coerced into making donations to the BRS party, it added.
The arrested officials also admitted to having moved money by using police vehicles during the bypolls and this, if true, was tantamount to brazen fraud and an attempt to hoodwink the EC too besides being a threat to democracy itself, the memorandum added.
