Telangana politician K Kavitha, KCR’s daughter, arrested in liquor policy case

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Mar 15, 2024: K Kavitha, BRS leader and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s daughter, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate today in the Delhi liquor policy case after searches at her Hyderabad home earlier in the day.

 

Seated in the front seat of the car, the 45-year-old politician flashed the victory sign, waved at and assured her supporters before being taken away by probe agency officials. She will be taken to Delhi later tonight, according to senior BRS leader Prasanth Reddy.

"What they (ED officials) informed us in the house is that we will take you (Kavitha) to Delhi by 8.45 pm flight. It appears that they had decided to take her into custody and even booked a flight ticket for Kavitha even before they came here," Reddy said.

Sources say that the Enforcement Directorate team is in touch with Telangana Police to finalise the route to take the BRS leader to Delhi.

Kavitha will be taken to Delhi on a flight at 8.45 pm.


SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE K KAVITHA’S HOUSE

A large number of BRS supporters and leaders, including Working President KT Rama Rao and former Minister Harish Rao, gathered outside BRS MLC residence soon after a probe agency team arrived to conduct searches.

Kavitha’s brother and former Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao, popularly known as KTR, questioned her arrest, alleging that it was in defiance of the Supreme Court’s order. “You have given an undertaking in Supreme Court and now you are violating it. You are in serious trouble,” KTR is seen saying in a video of a confrontation with probe agency officials at Kavitha’s home.

However, the Enforcement Directorate had earlier argued that the BRS leader had obtained a temporary relief from the top court last year, but it is not valid now.

K KAVITHA’S ARREST ORDER

As per the arrest memo issued by the Assistant Director of Enforcement Directorate, K Kavitha committed an offence punishable under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

"In exercise of the power conferred under the PMLA, Kalvakuntla Kavitha was arrested at 05:20 PM on 15.03.2024. She has been duly informed of the grounds for her arrest," the warrant read.

"Additionally, a copy of the grounds of arrest, containing 14 pages, has also been served upon her," it added.

DELHI LIQUOR POLICY CASE

Amit Arora, one of the accused in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case, had named K Kavitha during questioning. The probe agency had alleged that there was a liquor lobby called the "South Group", which paid as much as Rs 100 crore kickbags to many Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders through another accused, Vijay Nair.

The Enforcement Directorate has also alleged that the handler of the "South Group" is a business associate of K Kavitha.

The BRS MLC, however, has maintained that she had done no wrong and instead accused the BJP-led Central government of ’misusing’ the central agencies in order to get a ’backdoor’ entry into Telangana.

Last year, K Kavitha was grilled thrice in connection with the liquor policy case and the probe agency had even recorded her statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Courtesy: India Today