HYDERABAD: Officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday searched the residence of a relative of BRS MLC K Kavitha in Hyderabad, in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam.
The search began around 7 am when a team of ED officials knocked on the door of Mesineni Akhila, the sister of Kavitha’s husband DR Anil and resident of Block A, DSR Reganti in Madhapur. The search continued till late evening.
Sources said that the ED teams were probing Meka Sri Sharan’s role in the laundering of money made from the alleged liquor scam through shell companies. Sharan is the husband of Akhila’s daughter Vaishnavi.
During their search of Kavitha’s home the day they arrested her, ED sleuths had seized Sharan’s mobile phone, sources said.
They said that the ED believes that Sharan laundered the “proceeds of crime” [POC] made by Kavitha in the liquor business through shell companies. Sources said that ED officials collected a few documents related to the case during the searches on Saturday.
The report filed by the ED reads: “It is revealed during the investigation in last seven days, Meka Sharan is involved in transfer or utilisation of Proceeds of Crime (POC) from Indospirit firm. Since he is in possession of information relevant to the investigation in the case and he is not cooperating with the investigation, a search is conducted at his premises under Section 17 of PMLA, 2022, on March 23.”
ED sleuths said that they want to interrogate Sameer Mahendru, one of the accused, to get the details of the transfer of POC by Sharan and to ascertain the role of Kavitha.
It is learned that during her interrogation when officials asked Kavitha about Sharan’s involvement, she refused to answer. The ED in its latest remand report mentioned that when the details of the business and profession of Sharan were sought, Kavitha replied: “I am not aware”.
After Kavitha’s arrest, the ED summoned Sharan to appear before it twice, but he skipped the summons.
