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A case of data theft has been reported at the Raj Bhavan office in Somajiguda, Hyderabad, after a suspended employee allegedly accessed a government computer system and removed a hard disk containing confidential files.
The incident came to light on the morning of May 15 when IT Manager N. Rakesh and Network Engineer Sriram entered Room No. 104 and noticed the system was switched on with a blue screen and a replaced hard disk. According to the FIR filed by the police, the complaint was received on May 15 at 5:30 pm from N. Rakesh, who stated that he visited the Raj Bhavan office as part of his routine duties. His colleague Sriram, who also works at Raj Bhavan, opened Room No. 104 and observed the unusual state of the system. Upon examination, they found that the user account was different and the original hard disk had been replaced. Following this discovery, CCTV footage from the Sudarma Building's ground and first floors was reviewed. It reportedly showed an individual identified as T. Srinivas entering the premises around 10:11 pm on May 14, wearing a helmet. The footage captured his presence during non-working hours. According to the FIR, Srinivas had been suspended from duty earlier the same evening, at around 8:10 pm, based on certain allegations. The stolen hard disk reportedly contained licensed software, official documents, user credentials, and IT-related inspection reports. The complainant instructed Sriram not to tamper with the system and immediately reported the matter to senior officials. A case was registered under Cr. No. 373/2025 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the investigation was assigned to Sub-Inspector B. Venugopal. Providing further details, ACP Panjagutta S. Mohan Kumar said that, "A previous complaint had been filed against Srinivas on May 10 by a female employee who alleged that her photos had been morphed and shared with others in an obscene manner. Based on the complaint, a case was registered and Srinivas, a 45-year-old IT hardware employee at Raj Bhavan, was arrested on May 12 and remanded to judicial custody. He was later released on bail and subsequently suspended from service." Despite being under suspension, Srinivas allegedly returned to the office premises on the night of May 14 and stole the hard disk which contained the photos in question. A fresh complaint was lodged by the Raj Bhavan IT Manager, leading to his re-arrest on May 15. The hard disk has since been recovered. Clarifying media reports that claimed outsiders had accessed the Raj Bhavan premises and removed important documents, ACP S. Mohan Kumar said that such reports were "baseless and untrue."
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