ED questions BRS leader K Kavitha in Delhi excise policy money laundering case

New Delhi, March 21

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned BRS leader K Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy linked money laundering case for the third time. 

K Kavitha (44) is daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and is a MLC in Telangana. 

Kavitha reached the ED office at 11:30 am and spent around 18-19 hours at the ED headquarters in central Delhi during her two appearances on March 11 and March 20. 

Kavitha was questioned by ED on statements made by Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandran Pillai, an arrested accused in the case who allegedly shares close ties with her, apart from those of few others involved in the case.

As per ED's investigation, Pillai who represent the 'South Gruop' is an alleged liquor cartel linked to Kavitha and others, that paid kickbacks amounting to about Rs 100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to gain a larger share of the market in the national capital under the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2020-21.

The “South Group”comprises Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Pharma), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (YSR Congress MP from Ongole Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh), his son Raghav Magunta, Kavitha and others.

Kavitha has earlier been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the case at her residence in Hyderabad. The ED has so far arrested 12 people in the case, including former Delhi deputy chief minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia.

According to the ED, Butchibabu, an accountant allegedly linked to Kavitha, in which he said that “there was political understanding between K Kavitha and chief minister (Arvind Kejriwal) and the deputy chief minister (Sisodia). In that process, K Kavitha also met Vijay Nair on March 19-20, 2021.

Butchibabu has been arrested by the CBI and has been questioned recently again by the ED while Nair was arrested in the case by both the ED and the CBI.