In a dramatic turn of events, K Kavitha, prominent leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and daughter of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday. The arrest came mere hours after the ED, in collaboration with the Income Tax department, conducted extensive searches at her residence in Hyderabad. This development is linked to the ongoing Delhi excise policy case, where Kavitha has been implicated as an accused.
A team comprising at least 10 officers from both agencies, dispatched from New Delhi, carried out the searches at Kavitha’s residence in the presence of the legislator herself and her husband D Anil Kumar. Following her detainment, Kavitha’s brother and BRS working president K T Rama Rao, along with her cousin T Harish Rao, arrived at the scene and engaged in a heated exchange with the ED officers, demanding to see a transit warrant.
According to the panchnama, a legal document detailing the arrest proceedings, the ED officers duly informed Kavitha of the search warrant before conducting a meticulous search of the premises. The search concluded with the arrest under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at 05:20 pm. Additionally, five mobile phones were seized during the operation. However, the proceedings were momentarily disrupted by the unauthorized entry of around 20 individuals, claiming affiliation with Kavitha, which led to a brief altercation.
Prior to her arrest, Kavitha had been summoned by the IT and ED to provide her statement, against which she had appealed in the Supreme Court and refused to comply. The ED, in its chargesheet, has alleged Kavitha’s involvement in a ‘South Group’ accused of providing Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to Aam Aadmi Party leaders. This exchange allegedly secured undue benefits under the now-defunct Delhi excise policy. Kavitha has vehemently denied these allegations, dismissing the ED notices as “Modi notices”.
Kavitha, 46, a prominent figure in the Telangana political landscape, rose to prominence for her role in the separate state movement. Despite her initial success in electoral politics, including a resounding victory in the 2014 Nizamabad Parliamentary constituency, she faced challenges, particularly concerning the grievances of turmeric farmers. The BJP capitalized on these issues, leading to her defeat in the 2019 elections.
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