After hours-long raid conducted by the Enforcement Directorate at her Hyderbad residence, the central probe agency on Friday arrested BRS leader K Kavitha and brought her to Delhi at around midnight for further questioning. The ED arrested her in connection with a money laundering case, linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, news agency PTI reported.
As per reports, the Telangana Legislative Council Member was apprehended by the ED at around 5:20 pm from her house at Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Subsequently, she was brought to Delhi in a commercial flight that landed at the IGI Airport, and will likely be produced before a designated PMLA court on March 16 where the ED will seek her remand for custodial interrogation.
The 46-year-old BRS leader was lodged at the agency's headquarters in the national capital for the night.
Following her arrest, her husband D R Anil Kumar was informed about it after which her preliminary statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), ED officials stated, adding that the searches began at 1:45 pm on Friday.
Kavitha is the daughter of former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao. She has now become the third high-profile person to be arrested in the case in which the ED previously arrested AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh.
According to her legal team, Kavitha's arrest was illegal as her petition against the ED summons had been listed by the Supreme Court for hearing on March 19. Her arrest came a day before the EC's scheduled announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule.
ED in its 'panchnama' stated that around 20 people entered the BRS leader's house while they were conducting raids and created a ruckus, delaying the proceedings. It further stated that five mobiles were also seized during the raid.
The ED questioned Kavitha three times last year in the same case and summoned her again this year, but she did not depose citing a Supreme Court direction, allowing her protection from any coercive action.
BRS Alleges Move Was Pre-Planned
BRS leader and former Telangana minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy alleged that the move was pre-planned and that the party would protest against it, PTI reported.
BRS working president K T Rama Rao and former minister Harish Rao along with a large number of party workers also gathered at Kavitha's residence where they raised slogans.
A video was shared by the BRS which showed Kavitha's brother KT Rama Rao arguing with the ED officials that the agency violated Supreme Court's undertaking. Her brother also alleged that the family memebers were prohibited from entering into the house even after the searches concluded.
Rama Rao also slammed the BJP-led Centre, alleging abuse of power and institutional misuse for settling political scores.
As per the ED, Kavitha was linked to a South Group lobby of liquor traders who were trying to play a larger role in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy 2021-22. However, Kavitha claims that she had done nothing wrong and that the Centre was using ED as the BJP could not gain backdoor entry into Telangana, PTI reported.