Hyderabad police serve proclamation order at former SIB chief Prabhakar Rao’s home, announce notice in locality

HYDERABAD: A day after the Nampally court directed Hyderabad police to issue proclamation order against former Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) chief Prabhakar Rao in the phone tapping case, officials on Thursday pasted the notice at his residence in a gated community near Taramati Baradari in Ibrahim Bagh and made a public announcement at the community's clubhouse.The order, part of the court-mandated process, also involved informing neighbours and posting the notice in a visible area of the house. The court had instructed Prabhakar Rao to appear before it within 30 days — by June 20 — after he failed to comply with a previously issued Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW).During arguments in the Nampally court, police invoked Sections 82 and 83 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), leading the court to admit their petition. Under Section 82(2), such proclamations must be read out publicly, posted at the accused's residence and courthouse, and may be published in a local newspaper.A police team carried out these procedures on Thursday. If Prabhakar Rao does not respond within the stipulated period, police will seek to attach his properties under Section 83, which deals with the seizure of assets belonging to absconding individuals.The former intelligence chief is a key accused in the alleged illegal phone tapping scandal that took place during the BRS regime. He allegedly ordered his subordinates to monitor opposition leaders, journalists, and businessmen using unauthorised surveillance techniques.