Former Telangana Special Intelligence Bureau chief T Prabhakar Rao surrendered before the Special Investigation Team probing a phone-tapping case on Friday, following a Supreme Court order, the Deccan Chronicle reported.

The case pertains to allegations that officers of the Special Intelligence Bureau, during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government, illegally surveilled private citizens and political figures and later attempted to destroy evidence. Four police officials, including a suspended deputy superintendent of police, have been arrested since March 2024 and are out on bail.

On Thursday, the court directed Rao to appear before the police by 11 am for investigation.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan said Rao must surrender at Jubilee Hills police station and allowed custodial interrogation “in accordance with law”.

The court also permitted him to have home-cooked food and regular medication.

The bench passed the order while hearing Rao’s anticipatory bail plea and clarified that it had not dismissed the petition but kept it pending, The News Minute reported.

The state government had alleged in the court that the police officer deleted electronic evidence from his devices during the interim protection he was granted from arrest, The News Minute reported.

The next hearing is listed for December 19.