CBI joint director V.V. Lakshminarayana said Sakshi’s reportage had not only insulted him but had also impinged on his fundamental rights. He said that persecution by the media organisation backed by the political party showed how they had tried to threaten him. He said this propaganda and leaking his call list might pose a security problem for the witnesses. Similar fears had been raised by CBI counsels earlier in court while objecting to Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bail petition.

Mr Lakshminarayana said the role of Mr Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, relative of senior Mr Ramachandra Rao, should be probed as Mr Raju had filed a petition in January this year in the AP High Court complaining of harassment by the CBI and had claimed that he had the call list data of Mr Lakshminarayana. Mr Raju, whose daughter is married to Mr K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao’s son, had apparently approached a private detective agency to obtain the call list data of Mr Lakshminarayana.

The detective agency had lodged a complaint with the Nanded SP that they had received threat calls and had given Mr Lakshminarayana’s number. Without checking the details of the number, the Nanded SP had asked BSNL to provide the call list of the number.

In his complaint, the CBI joint director also criticised the BSNL for not following protocol and releasing the call data of his official numbers. The Central Crime Station has registered an FIR under Sections 120B, 166, 499, 500 and 509 of the IPC; 24, 25, 29 of the Indian Telegraph Act; 66 and 72 of the IT Act and the Official Secrets Act.

The YSR Congress on Wednesday, meanwhile, criticised Mr Lakshminarayana for taking the issue too personally. Party spokesperson Bajireddy Goverdhan said, “We don’t mind if he wants to join a political party or a media house opposing us, but being in government, he should do justice to his duty without any prejudice. But his behaviour is otherwise ever since the investigation began.”

Cop used DCP’s e-mail ID to get list
The cyber crime cell of the Cyberabad police questioned police inspector Srinvas Rao on Wednesday, seized his service revolver and directed him not to leave the city. The hard disk of his computer was also seized. The police were acting on the complaint of Ms Vasireddy Chandrabala that the inspector has leaked the call log of her mobile phone and that of CBI joint director V.V. Lakshminarayana.

However, a senior reporter of Sakshi newspaper, Mr Yadagiri Reddy, who allegedly instigated the inspector to get the call log of Ms Chandrabala, has not been called for questioning so far. Inspector Srinivasa Rao had obtained the password of the Malkajgiri deputy commissioner of police (DCP) and got the call list of the CBI joint director from the Airtel authorities. This makes it a very serious crime as he used the e-mail ID of his superior without the latter’s knowledge and consent.

The investigation also showed that the Nacharam police station e-cops operator, Bala Raj sent the list that the DCP’s office had received from Airtel, to Yadagiri Reddy, the senior correspondent of Sakshi. The cops are likely to arrest the inspector and the reporter any time now. Ms Chandrabala has been given police security on the directions of the SHRC.