The Enforcement Directorate (ED) took Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha into custody on Friday in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to the Delhi liquor policy scam. This development followed a search operation conducted at her residence in Hyderabad by a team from the probe agency. Once the requisite legal formalities are completed, Kavitha will be transported to Delhi for further investigation.
Kavitha, who is the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, had previously evaded at least two summonses issued by the probe agency earlier this year. Despite citing a Supreme Court order barring her summons in the case, Enforcement Directorate sources clarified that the temporary relief granted to her by the court last year is no longer applicable.
Before this latest development, Kavitha had been interrogated on three occasions last year in connection with the same case, with the probe agency recording her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Throughout the investigation, the BRS MLC maintained her innocence, alleging that the BJP-led Central government was exploiting central agencies to infiltrate Telangana indirectly.
Amit Arora, an accused individual in the now-defunct Delhi liquor policy case, implicated K Kavitha during questioning. The Enforcement Directorate alleged the existence of a liquor lobby known as the "South Group," which purportedly provided substantial kickbacks, amounting to Rs 100 crore, to various Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders via another accused individual, Vijay Nair. Moreover, the Enforcement Directorate claimed that the "South Group" handler is a business associate of K Kavitha.
In a related matter, the probe agency has issued multiple summonses to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the same case. However, Kejriwal has chosen to disregard all eight summonses issued against him.
