The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the high-profile phone-tapping scandal in Telangana intensified its investigation on Thursday, summoning and questioning K Nanda Kumar, a key accused in the 2023 MLAs poaching case known as 'Poachgate'. The inquiry focused on potential connections between the alleged attempts to lure Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators and the widespread illegal surveillance operations during the previous regime.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar convened a high-level meeting with SIT officials, including Intelligence chief Vijay Kumar, to strategise on summoning politicians and additional witnesses. Authorities aim to expedite the probe and file a supplementary chargesheet within the next month, as investigators simultaneously questioned multiple accused at Jubilee Hills police station, including Sravan Rao, Bhujanga Rao, Radhakishan Rao, and Tirupathanna.

Former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief Prabhakar Rao, the primary accused whose 14-day police custody concluded on Thursday, was interrogated alongside others but reportedly denied most allegations. Sources indicate he named former DGP Mahender Reddy and Intelligence chiefs Naveen Chand and Anil Kumar, while refusing to address queries on a seized pen drive containing approximately 6,000 phone numbers or his re-employment approval. Officials are preparing to submit a custody report to the Supreme Court on Friday.

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The SIT is also pursuing financial trails, having recently examined Prabhakar Rao's elder son Nishanth regarding transactions, while continuing questioning of former Task Force DCP Radhakishan Rao, Additional SP Tirupathanna, and media house head Sravan Rao. Former DSP Praneeth Rao remains the only accused not currently under interrogation in this phase.

In a separate session lasting about one and a half hours, investigators quizzed Nanda Kumar, owner of Deccan Kitchen and previously arrested in the Moinabad farmhouse poaching incident, on the sequence of events in 2023 and verified the authenticity of audio clips released by the former BRS government purportedly capturing conversations related to the alleged MLA poaching attempt.

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