Phone tapping case: CBI issues notice to 54 police inspectors

Team Udayavani, Nov 3, 2019, 4:29 PM IST

Bengaluru: Sleuths from the Central Bureau of Investigation, probing the phone-tapping case, issued a notice to 54 inspectors to appear for an investigation on November 4 and 5 in its office on Hebbal road.

As per the sources, the inspectors for whom the CBI officials issued nptice were working in the city when HD Kumaraswamy was the chief minister and the phone tapping was carried out through the technical cells of the city police. These inspectors are divided into two batches and will be inquired separately.

The phone-tapping controversy came to light during the elections when an alleged phone conversation was leaked to the media in which an IPS officer was named.

Names of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and former PWD Minister HD Revanna of the JD(S) had also figured in the leaked phone tapes.

The CBI has lodged an FIR on the request of Karnataka government against unknown public servants and private persons.

According to the Karnataka government, “It has come to the notice of the government that there are apprehensions that phones of several ruling and Opposition political leaders, their relatives and other government officials have been intercepted in an illegal or unauthorised and unwanted manner.”

Before CBI, the case was being investigated by the Cyber Crime Police Station of Bangalore under section 72 of the Indian Technology Act, 2000 and Section 26 of Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.

The Karnataka government maintains that they “intend to inquire and investigate into such lapses”.