'Arrest B L Santhosh': KCR's Plan To Save Daughter Kavitha From ED Case, New Claim In Telangana Phone-Tapping Case

Former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) is accused of tapping the phones of opposition leaders including BJP leader B L Santhosh.

Former Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), P Radhakrishna Rao, who was arrested in March this year, has made big claims in his six-page confession against KCR, as per NDTV.

Rao alleged that KCR "arm-twisted certain persons creating trouble" and even wanted to arrest B L Santhosh so that a "compromise" could be made to get his daughter K Kavitha free of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case.

Kavitha was arrested by the ED in the Delhi liquor policy case on 15 March and is in judicial custody now. The BRS leader is accused of being a key member of the "South Group."

Before the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections, KCR suspected sometime in the last week of October that the BJP was trying to poach Panjugula MLA Rohith Reddy, as per Rao.

KCR then tasked former chief of the state intelligence bureau, T Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case who is reportedly in the US, to tap the phone of the concerned leaders, Rao said.

"KCR, thinking to use this to corner the BJP, had asked the Special Intelligence Branch to put surveillance," the confession said. An audio clip came out from this that led to the arrest of three people in Hyderabad.

However, the BJP denied poaching allegations. A Special Investigative Team (SIT) was then formed so that it could be reportedly used to arrest B L Santhosh in the case.

Santhosh was even named as an accused in the case but after a stay from the Telangana High Court, he could not be questioned further and the case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The SIT was disbanded for not ensuring an "impartial" investigation. This angered KCR, as per Rao. Soon after this, KCR lost the CM seat to Congress' Revanth Reddy.

Reddy is also one of those opposition leaders whose phone was allegedly tapped. KCR has denied these allegations, claiming he is being targeted as part of a political conspiracy.