The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided the house of BRS leader K. Kavitha in Hyderabad in connection with the Delhi liquor police case.
The raids follow after BRS MLC and the daughter of former Telangana chief minister Chandrashekar Rao skipped the ED summons multiple times. ED had issued summons in January and February this year.
The ED had claimed Kavitha was linked to a 'south group' named lobby of liquor traders who were trying to play a larger role under the now scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.
Reacting to the raids BRS spokesperson Sravan Dasoju said that searches were politically motivated and both BJP and Congress are hand-in-glove to harass leaders of the KCR-led party.
Earlier, she was questioned by ED in March 2023 in connection with the case. It is alleged that Kavitha was in touch with Vijay Nair, the communication head of AAP, who was engaging with businessmen from the liquor industry and politicians during the execution of the policies.
In connection with the money laundering case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in February last year arrested Butchibabu Gorantla, Kavitha's chartered accountant. Arun Ramachandra Pillai, who advocated for her in various meetings with Nair and others, was arrested by ED in March.
The ED officials had said that Butchibabu in his statement agreed that there was political understanding between Kavitha and other ministers under scanner in connection with the case.
“There was a political understanding between K Kavitha and the chief minister of Delhi (Arvind Kejriwal) and (former) deputy CM (Manish Sisodia) of Delhi. In that process, K Kavitha has also met Vijay Nair on 19th-20th March 2021," read Butchibabu's statement to the officials.
ED also alleged that Pillai acted as the representative for Kavitha's illicit or unauthorised investments.