Hyderabad: In twists to the ongoing high-profile unauthorised phone tapping case, the Regional Passport Officer (RPO) has permanently suspended the Indian passports of prime accused former SIB chief T. Prabhakar Rao and his associate Shravan Kumar Rao, who are reported in the US.
Rao, meanwhile, has petitioned the US to recognise him as a political refugee.
Their passports were suspended under Section 10 of Indian Passport Act based on a representation submitted to the RPO by the special investigating team (SIT) that is probing the phone-tapping case.
The CBI, the nodal agency, and Interpol have alerted the US immigration department about the charges against the two accused, sources in the TG
police said.
Despite Rao’s counsel stating that as the officer’s involvement in the case was not been established, SIT recently filed a counter in Delhi with case
details and evidence against Rao and Kumar in the case, sources told Deccan Chronicle.
SIT sources said that the Interpol is expected to issue a red corner notice (RCN) against Prabhakar Rao. It is reported that CBI has coordinated with
the US government immigration department in Texas with the case sheet to expedite the process of issuing the red corner notice.
Speaking on the impact of cancelling the passport, High Court advocate P.N. Arun Kumar said it could impact an application for the green card in the US.
The US immigration services would require additional data in the matter.
It would also prevent international travel. In the US, a cancelled passport could lead to immigration issues.
If other protections are not available, and the person is already in the US, a cancelled passport may lead to the revocation of their visa.
