Cash-for-vote scam, which triggered a confrontation between the Governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Monady took a new twist with Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau alleging that the AP Government was threatening its officials.In a memo submitted to the ACB court in Hyderabad on Monday, the ACB complained that the officials of Andhra Pradesh Government were pressuring and threatening its officials. The agency also complained that AP Government was hiding two suspects of the case Jerusalem Muttaiah and MlA S Venakata Veeraiah.The move came at a time when the Special Investigation Team of Andhra Pradesh police has intensified its probe in to the allege tapping of the phone of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu by the Telangana Government.SIT officials headed by the Chittoordistrict superintendent of police Ramakrishna recorded the statements of the representatives of telecom and mobile companies.
Officialsof Vodafone and Uninor came to Bhavanipuram police station in Vijaywada to give their statements.Andhra Pradesh Government constituted the SIT headed by additional DIG Shaikh Mohammed Iqbal to probe the allegations that the Telangana Government had tapped the phones of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and other leaders of Andhra Pradesh.The controversy had erupted after some Hyderabad based TV channels had broadcast the alleged telephone conversation between Chandrababu Naidu and a nominated MlA Elvis Stephenson.Andhra Pradesh Director General of police JV Ramudu on Monady held a review meeting with the top officials including intelligence Chief Anuradha, CID Chief Dwarka Tirumala Rao and the SIT chief Iqbal in Hyderabad and discuss the progress of the investigation.
Meanwhile, Telangana Home Minister N Narasimha Reddy denied that the State Government had tapped anybody’s phone. “If the allegation is proved that we resorted to phone tapping in cash for vote scam we are ready to face any punishment,” he told the reporters. “But if the allegations were proved wrong are you ready to go to jail”, he asked Andhra Pradesh Government. Vijayawada police commissioner AB Venkateshwara Rao said that notices were issued 12 telecommunication service providers and their representatives were asked to appear before the SIT on Monday and Tuesday.The representatives who appeared before the officials at Bhavanipuram police station were asked whether any phone was tapped through them and was it done in accordance with the law and had they taken necessary permissions.