BRS Leader K Kavitha Arrested By CBI Inside Tihar Jail In Liquor Policy Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested BRS leader K Kavitha inside the Tihar Hail in connection with a corruption case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.

The BRS leader will be produced before Delhi's Rouse Avenue court after she was taken under custody by the CBI under sections of criminal conspiracy and falsification of accounts of the Indian Penal Code & certain sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, as per ANI.

A special court had earlier granted permission for the agency to question her on the WhatsApp chats recovered from co-accused Buchi Babu's phone and documents related to a land deal after which Rs 100 crore was allegedly paid to the Aam Aadmi Party in kickbacks to swing excise policy in favour of a liquor lobby.

The daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, she faces allegations of being a prominent figure in the "South Group." This group purportedly provided kickbacks of Rs 100 crore to the ruling AAP in Delhi in exchange for a significant portion of liquor licenses in the national capital. She was remanded to 14-day judicial custody last Tuesday.

On March 15, the ED had arrested Kavitha from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad.

The special court on Tuesday extended her custody till April 23 after she was produced before the court on the expiry of her judicial remand granted earlier.

Meanwhile, the 46-year-old BRS leader wrote a letter to the Delhi court judge that her reputation had been damaged and her privacy was invaded after her mobile phone was displayed in public.

In the four-page letter, she said, "I am a victim. ED and CBI investigation is a media trial for more than two-and-a-half years. I have cooperated with the investigation to the best of my knowledge and given all the bank account details. I will hand over all the mobile phones which the agency claims that I have destroyed. The agency has physically and mentally tortured me and has also threatened me."

She further stated that she was arrested based on the statements made by a few people who "kept changing their statements and political alliances". She further added, "Madam Justice, today 95% cases of ED/CBI are on opposition party leaders and when the accused joins the BJP investigation abruptly stops. Madam Justice, on the floor of Parliament, BJP leaders openly threaten the opposition 'chup ho jao, warna ED bhejunga (keep quiet or else will send ED)."

Kavitha claimed that she was arrested just before the Lok Sabha polls.