THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The phones of opposition leaders, top officials and media workers are being tapped to know the election secrets, strategies, undercurrents and alliances. This is done using the secret police system to monitor criminals and terrorists. This has been going on for a month. After the information was leaked from the police itself, the officers and leaders have started making phone calls through WhatsApp. Hacking WhatsApp calls is not easy for the police.

There are many restrictions on tapping phones legally. Phones can be tapped only for investigation of cases affecting national security, financial crimes and cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act. In any case, the DIG and other officers can seek permission from the Home Secretary by stating the reason. In case of emergency, the phone can be tapped for seven days without prior permission. Approval should be obtained later. The initial permission is for two months and can be extended by one month. Unauthorized tapping is happening because there are many procedures. However, the police claim that phones are not getting tapped illegally.

However, a former police chief had revealed that a phone-tapping device had been installed in a house at Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram. The phones of journalists and politicians were tapped by intelligence when the solar controversy raged.

Tapping from rented house too

Ramesh Chennithala had earlier disclosed that the police had installed a phone-tapping device in a rented house at Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram and had moved it to the police headquarters when he was the home minister.

A phone-tapping machine was installed in the rented house when Kodiyeri was the home minister. Chennithala said that the phones of all the important persons were tapped at that time and later the phones of the accused of sedition and fake notes were tapped legally.

The phones of hundreds of people are being tapped regularly with the permission of the Home Secretary. Emergency tapping does not have accounts. Most of the phone tapping is done for suspected Maoist and terrorist links.

Story of phone hacking

1. Phone call information is collected under section 5(2) of the Telegraph Act for investigation purposes.
2. The police will transfer the numbers to be monitored to the mobile service providers
3. Calls to these numbers will be diverted by service providers to another police number
4. All these calls will be recorded by the police using a special device

Home Secretary Nalini Netto had accepted Bengal Police's request to tap the phone of a person who posted on social media against Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, but Chief Secretary SM Vijayanand did not allow it. There is a high-level committee comprising the Chief Secretary and Law and Public Administration Secretaries to give approval as per the law.

Crime

Illegal phone tapping is a crime punishable by 5 years in prison