India: Enforcement Directorate arrests BRS leader K Kavitha in Delhi excise policy case
BRS leader K Kavitha
Former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K Kavitha was on Friday (March 15) arrested by Enforcement Directorate in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.
The development came hours after the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader was interrogated following a raid at her Hyderabad residence by the probe agency. On Saturday, Kavitha wasproduced before a Delhi court by the ED in connection with the case
In the court, Kavitha called her arrest illegal.
In the arrest order, the concerned ED investigation officer said: "I believe that Smt. Kalvakuntla Kavitha w/o Mr. D R Anil Kumar, residing at H. No. 8-2316/S/H, Road No 14, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, Telengana-500034 has been guilty of an offence punishable under the provision of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (15 of 2003)."
"Now, therefore, in the exercise of the power conferred upon me under sub-section (1) of section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (915 of 2003), I hereby arrest the said Smt. Kalvakuntla Kavitha at 05.20 pm on 15.03.2024 and she has been informed of grounds for arrest. A copy of the grounds of arrest (containing 14 pages) have been served upon her."
The action by ED comes almost two months after the probe agency issued summons to Kavitha that she had skipped.
She has denied any wrongdoing and has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government was "using" the ED as BJP could not gain "backdoor entry" into Telangana.
As per ED, Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai, who was arrested last year in the case, "is one of the key persons in the entire scam involving payments of huge kickbacks and formation of the biggest cartel of the South Group".
"South Group" includes Telangana MLC Kavitha, Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Group), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MP, Ongole), his son Raghav Magunta, and others, said the investigation agency.
The South Group was being represented by Pillai, Abhishek Boinpalli and Butchi Babu, said the federal agency in its probe.
(With inputs from agencies)