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BENGALURU: The war for plum postings in the police department has touched a new low. Senior IPS officers in Karnataka are snooping on each by other by resorting to illegal phone tapping and leaking private conversations.

On Thursday, three audio clips — involving conversations between an officer of the rank of additional director general of police ( ADGP ) and a power broker with links to the Congress high command — were leaked to the media by unidentified sources.

In the conversation, the officer is curious to know from the power broker if he had succeeded in convincing Congress leaders in New Delhi to appoint him as the Bengaluru City police commissioner.

A few media channels claimed that the voice in the audio belonged to IPS officer Bhaskar Rao when he served as the chief of Karnataka State Reserve Police during the Congress-JD(S) government. Though Rao was in the race for the police commissioner’s post, the government appointed his junior Alok Kumar.

With the BJP government assuming office, Rao was recently appointed the police commissioner. “Rao’s conversations were recorded before he was made the city commissioner,” a senior police officer said.

Alok Kumar: We’re tracking calls of power broker

Telephone-tapping is unethical and illegal. Who authorised the interception and who leaked it?” asked a senior officer.

Sources said Rao has complained to director general and inspector general of police Neelamani Raju. Rao told TOI he has told joint commissioner of police (crime) Sandeep Patil to probe. Patil said: “I’ve told the DCP to get the audio clip and probe.”

In the tapes, the power broker, identified as Faraz, is heard mentioning ‘Madam’ and drops the names of Congressmen Ahmed Patel and Venugopal when Rao reportedly states that Alok Kumar is in a hurry to get the coveted posting.

Alok Kumar said: “We were intercepting the phone calls of Faraz as he was a suspect in a Ponzi scam and he had met me once. We have not tracked others’ calls.”

