‘Apple sends tapping alerts to Lokesh’: TDP moves poll body

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the main opposition in Andhra Pradesh, on Friday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) stating that certain unknown agencies had tapped the mobile phone of party general secretary Nara Lokesh using suspected Pegasus software

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the main opposition in Andhra Pradesh, on Friday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) stating that certain unknown agencies had tapped the mobile phone of party general secretary Nara Lokesh using suspected Pegasus software.

The TDP complained to the ECI about the security e-mail received by Nara Lokesh. (ANI)

In a letter written to chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, senior TDP leader and former Rajya Sabha member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar said Lokesh, son of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu had received a security alert from mobile manufacturing company Apple through an e-mail in the morning.

“Apple sent an e-mail alert to Lokesh stating that efforts are being made to hack and tap his phone with some unidentified software and alerted him to take some precautionary measures,” he said.

Stating that Lokesh had received similar alerts in March as well, the former MP said the party suspected the involvement of director general of police KV Rajendranath Reddy and state intelligence chief PSR Anjaneyulu, in the telephone tapping.

“Both the officers had been acting at the behest of the ruling YSR Congress Party resorting to highly unethical and unlawful activities only to jeopardise the prospects of the NDA alliance partners in the ongoing elections to the assembly and the Lok Sabha,” Ravindra Kumar said.

Another senior TDP leader and former minister Devineni Umamaheshwar Rao said there were suspicions that even the phones of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Daggubati Purandeshwar Rao and JanaSena Party president Pawan Kalyan by the state police officials.

“The central government should order a probe into these reports and take appropriate action,” he demanded.

Neither the YSRCP leaders nor the top police officers of the Andhra Pradesh government have responded yet to the allegations made by the TDP.