Telangana Police Tracked Revanth Reddy During His Time as Opposition Leader
At least 25 police officers formed a dedicated team to track Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy during his tenure as an opposition leader under the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime. This initiative stemmed from Revanth's direct and personal attacks on the BRS leadership, including the then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Selected by intelligence chiefs, the "most trusted and efficient officers" were assigned various tasks, ranging from phone tapping to monitoring Revanth's Banjara Hills residence. Additionally, efforts were made to identify and track individuals financially supporting Revanth, particularly during elections, alongside monitoring his political gimmicks.
While several opposition figures underwent scrutiny, Revanth emerged as the primary target, with former BRS minister and current BJP leader Eatala Rajender following closely behind. Rajender's monitoring commenced following his fallout with KCR in 2021.
Although Revanth was initially booked in the cash-for-vote case in 2015 with intelligence assistance, sustained tracking had reportedly commenced in 2018 upon his affiliation with the Congress and subsequent appointment as Telangana Pradesh Congress working president. The dedicated "Revanth team" within the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) remained operational until the declaration of assembly election results in December 2023.
Sources emphasised Revanth's aggressive stance not only against KCR but also against his family members and close associates, making him a prime target. Speculation arose regarding whether the decision to initiate surveillance originated independently within the SIB or upon directives from political authorities.
Despite ongoing investigations into the phone-tapping case, no recorded conversations have surfaced until now.
Former SIB deputy superintendent of police, D Praneeth Rao, allegedly wiped stored data and destroyed electronic devices. However, investigators have successfully traced the phone numbers of opposition leaders and their associates subject to monitoring, with Praneeth being the first police officer arrested in connection with the case.