Phone-tapping case: CBI raids IPS Alok Kumar's house

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials raided the residence of IPS officer Alok Kumar in connection with the phone-tapping case, here on Thursday.

A team of around 20 officials are searching the residence of former Bengaluru city police commissioner, located near Shoolay Circle in the city. He was transferred soon after the illegal phone-tapping spilled into the open and was posted as Additional Director General of Police, Karnataka State Reserve Police.

Kumar who is presently serving as an additional director general of Police (ADGP) in Karnataka State Reserve Police is being questioned by CBI officials. Team of officials came to his official at KSRP police quarters in Madiwala on Thursday morning and started questioning him on his directions to tap the phone of the suspect who have links with several political leaders and bureaucrats. Officials also asked him how the audio clip of phone tapping was leaked to the media.
Soon after taking oath as chief minister, the B S Yediyurappa government has written to the Centre on August 19 seeking a CBI probe into the phone tapping. The Bengaluru Cyber Police Station had initially registered a case following a complaint by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Bengaluru under section 72 of the Indian Technology Act, 2000 and Section 26 of Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, following an instruction by the present city police commissioner Bhaskar Rao. The case was then handed over to CBI in the third week of August.

However, CBI has not nabed anyone in the FIR at present but after the findings in the investigation, they will name people who involved in the case. This is the first search operation after CBI has taken over the case.

It was alleged that that the Technical Support Centre of Bengaluru City Police have intercepted a mobile number 98803XX007, which was "suspected to be used by a suspect in a case.
However, the interception details were downloaded from server in a pen drive and parted with the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru, on his instruction, which has been "misused".
In its letter to the Centre, the Karnataka government said, "because of this illegal/unauthorised/unwanted activity of telephone interception in the state, it is apprehended that crucial and personal information of many senior political leaders and government servants might have been leaked, which is likely to infringe upon their right to privacy".

Alok was removed as commissioner of police after a purported telephone conversation between current Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao with Faraz, who was allegedly involved in a Ponzi scheme in Karnataka and was referred to as a close aide of senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel, was leaked to the media. Following the leak, allegations were levelled against the Congress-JD(S) coalition government for permitting illegal phone-tapping.

Following the leak, BJP leaders had blamed former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy of approving the prying of opposition leaders and even his coalition partners.