HYDERABAD: A six-member CBI team reached Banjara Hills around 11 in the morning on Sunday, to question K Kavitha daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam at her residence.
The CBI action comes soon after filing of some explosive facts by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on November 30 in a special court in Delhi, while seeking remand of an accused in connection with the same case. ED is probing the money laundering allegations to the tune of over Rs100 crores, related to the kickback in the Delhi Excise scam.
CBI had sought to quiz Kavitha on December 6, but she sought a deferment and had requested the authorities to visit her at her Banjara Hills home any day between December 11 and 15.
ED while seeking remand of another accused Amit Arora, had made some disclosures the political ramifications of which spilled beyond the National Capital Region of Delhi. The agency mentioned in the remand application the name of K Chandra Shekhar Rao’s daughter Kavitha along with the names of YSRC MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava. Arora is currently in extended ED custody for interrogation till December 14.
The ED officials stated in Arora’s remand application that Kavitha had changed her mobile phone's International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) six times after the case was handed over to the agency for investigation.
Further, the ED analysed the data based on the IMEI and found that digital evidence was destroyed to hamper the investigation. Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s name was also figured in the application for allegedly changing the handset several times.
According to ED officials, the investigation found that Vijay Nair, another accused closely associated with the AAP, received kickbacks worth Rs 100 crore on behalf of AAP leaders from the ‘South Group’, which is controlled by Sharath Chandra Reddy, K. Kavitha, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and Amit Arora. Arora has revealed this in his statements, the ED alleged.
Further, the ED claimed that extensive digital evidence was destroyed on purpose to stymie the investigation. "As many as 36 suspects/accused involved in the case have destroyed their 176 cell phones and laptops after the case was handed over to the agency. The ED has been able to retrieve data from 17 out of 170 cell phones. The ED officials also found the mobile phones destroyed by Kavita, Srujan Reddy, Arun Pillai, Abhishek Boinapally, Butchi Babu Gorantla, and Sharath Reddy,” the ED stated in its remand report.
Kavitha meets KCR, lawyers ahead of her tryst with CBI
Ahead of her meeting with the CBI officials on Sunday to record her statement in connection with the Delhi liquor scam, TRS MLC K Kavitha visited Pragathi Bhavan and was closeted with Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday evening.
According to sources, several lawyers also attended the meeting where the nitty-gritties of the notice that CBI had issued to her under Section 160 of the CrPC, seeking any information she may have in regard to the Delhi liquor scam as a witness.
The CBI had said its team will visit Kavitha at her Banjara Hills residence at 11 am as suggested by her and record her statement.The CBI issued the notice after the ED in its remand report filed with Rouse Avenue District Court in Delhi at the time of producing one of the accused in the Delhi liquor scam, that she was part of the ‘South Group’ which had paid in kickbacks `100 crore to Vijay Nair, of AAP.
The report also claimed Kavitha destroying 10 phones after using them for two numbers as a result of which they could not access the data on the phones which may have shed more light on the scam.Kavitha’s meeting with CBI officials has aroused interest across the State in the wake of strained relations between her father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the BJP.
The scam has created interest as one of the accused, Sharath Chandra Reddy, who is former director of Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Pharma. The CBI had issued summons to Kavitha on December 2 that its team will visit her residence and record her statement on December 6. Kavitha wrote back to the CBI that she wanted a copy of the FIR and complaint lodged with the CBI by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The CBI then advised her to download both of them from its website. After going through them, she said in her communication to the CBI: “I wish to place on record that my name does not figure in any manner whatsoever.” She also said that she would not be able to meet the CBI officials on December 6 but said she would be available between December 11 and 15, except December 13.
Meanwhile, Kavitha’s supporters put up banners at her residence expressing solidarity with her. They read: “Daughter of the Fighter will never fear. We are with Kavithakka”.