The investigation into the phone-hacking scandal is likely to expand its remit beyond the News International titles to other newspapers, BBC Four reported on Thursday. However, the Met police refused to officially confirm the news.
The scale of the dubious news gathering practices is evident from the earlier inquiry, which revealed that 4,000 requests from 300 journalists and 31 publications for confidential information were made to a private investigator. The investigation found the Daily Mail had made the most requests, followed by the Sunday People and the Daily Mirror.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, struggling to overcome the damage caused by the scandal, faced more setbacks on Thursday with new revelations linked to his former aide Andy Coulson.
Scotland Yard on Thursday increased the number of police officers working on the phone-hacking investigation, Operation Weeting, from 45 to 60.