Hyderabad, May  (IANS) Telangana Police have approached the Nampally criminal court here for the arrest of former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief and retired IPS officer T. Prabhakar Rao in the phone tapping case.

The investigating team filed a petition, requesting the court to issue an arrest warrant under Section 73 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Prabhakar Rao, who is the prime suspect in the case, is reported to be in the US.

The police have so far arrested four police officials in the sensational case. The accused had allegedly tapped the phones of opposition leaders and some businessmen.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner K. Sreenivas Reddy had last week denied issuing a red corner notice for Prabhakar Rao, saying such speculations would hinder the case and make the investigative process difficult.

The Nampally court had dismissed the bail petition of former Deputy Commissioner of Police (Task Force) P. Radha Kishan Rao in the phone tapping case.

Radha Kishan Rao, who had also served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in Task Force, had allegedly threatened some businessmen and also arm-twisted one of them to take electoral bonds in favour of a political party. It was also alleged that he was involved in the targeted seizure of cash belonging to opposition parties and the transport of cash of some individuals including BRS MLC P. Venkatram Reddy during elections.

Radha Kishan Rao was arrested as a conspirator, along with other suspended police officials D. Praneeth Rao, Bhujanga Rao and Thirupathanna, for keeping surveillance on opposition leaders, bureaucrats and journalists.

The court on April 26 had dismissed bail petitions of three other accused.

The phone tapping came to light in March when a case was registered with the Panjagutta police after a petition was filed by Additional SP, SIB, D. Ramesh.

When the BRS was in power, then SIB chief Prabhakar Rao had allegedly constituted a team within SIB with his trusted aides including DSP Praneeth Rao for surveillance of rival political leaders and their families and dissidents within the ruling party.

Praneeth Rao was arrested after he allegedly destroyed hard disks and other data after the Congress came to power.

Bhujanga Rao, Additional Superintendent of Police in Bhupalpally district and Tirupathanna, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, City Security Wing, Hyderabad City Police were arrested on March 23. They had earlier served in the SIB.