Former intelligence officer D. Praneeth Rao was suspended for allegedly destroying profiles and hard drives without authorisation. Photos | Express
HYDERABAD: On December 4, 2023, the day the Indian National Congress Party won the Assembly elections, the CCTV cameras in the Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) premises were switched off from 7:30 pm to 8:15 pm. During those 45 minutes, around 50 hard disks of computer systems and servers, part of the equipment used by the branch, were bugged. Telephone tapping According to the admission of the then Deputy Superintendent of Police, D. Praneeth Rao, the plans were changed.
Rao also said: The seized money The funds from opposition leaders were presented as “hawala” funds to avoid criticism from the Election Commission and political parties.
“I had been getting profiling and monitoring targets from IGP Prabhakar Rao and retired Additional SP Venugopal Rao. We were monitoring the targets and sending updates to the Director of Operations. With the end of the state assembly elections i.e. November 30, 2023, we stopped monitoring the targets. After the exit polls, the SIB head has directed us to destroy all document and electronic evidence,” he said.
Praneeth Rao’s confession continues: “On his (SIB Director) orders, around 50 hard disks of computer systems and servers were replaced with new ones and the removed hard disks were destroyed. Out of these 50 systems, 17 systems and one laptop were used for covert and unauthorised activities by me and my team. On December 4, 2023, after the Congress won the elections, Director of Operations Prabhakar Rao resigned. Before resigning, he ordered the destruction of all traces of political profiles and hard disks of systems used for surveillance. On his orders, I, with the help of Anil Kumar RSI, switched off the CCTV cameras in the SIB premises and destroyed the hard disks (around 50), documents and data of covert profiles.”
Gadget destroyed by electric cutter
“Initially Anil Kumar refused to switch off the cameras. However, when I reported to the SIB head, he was called and ordered to follow my instructions. As per my instructions, Anil Kumar switched off the CCTV cameras from 7.30 pm to 8.15 pm on December 4, 2023. During that time, Srinivas, Anant and others of M/s Convergence Innovation Labs, Hyderabad were called to their office and handed over the servers and hand disks. And the hard disks of our 17 systems, laptops and other hard disks were removed from the server by Harikrishna of RSI,” Rao’s confession states.
He said the electronic devices were destroyed with an electric cutter by Superintendent of Police K Krishna.
Praneeth was removed from SIB on December 13, 2023 and thereafter transferred to DCRB in Rajanna-Sircila district. He was suspended on March 4, 2024 for unauthorised acts of destroying profiles, hard disks and switching off CCTV cameras.
“If the police team and interrogators trace me, I can show them the computer system in which I replaced the hard disk at the SIB office. I have also formatted my personal electronic devices including mobile phones, laptops and thrown away pen drives to destroy all clues related to the crime,” Rao confessed.
Jubilee Hills ACP P Venkatagiri recorded the confessional statement of Praneeth Rao, who submitted three mobile phones and a laptop.
