According to reports, police officers involved in the widespread phone tapping operation during the BRS regime allegedly received additional imported equipment, including International Mobile Subscriber Identity catchers (IMSI), from government representatives at the time.
It is alleged that some BRS officials collaborated with businessmen and utilized the services of the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB)'s suspended DSP, D. Praneeth Rao, to surveil their targets, intercept their phone calls, and extort large sums of money through blackmail.
The targets reportedly included businessmen, prominent figures from the Tollywood industry, members of the real estate sector, and major hawala operators, as per sources.
Under the threat of exposing their illicit dealings, some targets reportedly capitulated and provided substantial sums of money to the hacking team, as noted by a retired police officer.
Investigations revealed that Ravi Paul, a technical consultant for the SIB at the time, recommended that intelligence officials procure devices from foreign countries to eavesdrop on phone conversations and track targets.
Allegedly, the tapping equipment was procured illegally without the required authorization from the central government. Ravi Paul imported tapping devices from Israel under the guise of a software company, according to sources.
Reportedly, Paul received significant sums of money from the SIB, along with then SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao, the main accused in the tapping operation who is currently in the US, for importing the devices from Israel.
Additionally, Paul acquired equipment capable of intercepting conversations within a 300-meter radius, allegedly at the behest of Prabhakar Rao, who instructed him to set up the device near the residence of the then TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy.
Sources claimed that this equipment allowed Praneeth Rao and Paul to monitor all conversations within Revanth Reddy's residence. Authorities have indicated their intention to detain Paul soon.
The tracking of individuals' locations and phone tapping can only be carried out with authorization from the government and senior officials. However, there are devices like StingRay available in the market that can intercept calls.
The IMSI catcher, which is estimated to cost between Rs. 20 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh, is reportedly used by foreign intelligence agencies, according to an officer familiar with the matter.
Typically, intelligence agencies install such equipment in their control rooms, which should be under constant CCTV surveillance and equipped with servers and recording devices.
In the case of Praneeth Rao, sources suggest that former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao allowed him to misuse equipment acquired for national security purposes.