CBI questions BRS MLC Kavitha for7 hours in Delhi Excise Policy Case

Hyderabad: A six-member CBI team, including a women, questioned Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha at her Banjara Hills residence here for seven hours on Sunday in the Delhi Excise Policy case. The CBI team arrived from New Delhi left from her residence at 1830 hours in two vehicles after recording her statement in the presence of Kavitha’s lawyer. CBI had issued notice 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 team interrogated her in a separate room in her house and she replied to the questions posed by the Investigation officials, Sources said. It was not clear whether Kavitha will be grilled again by the CBI or the six-member team are satisfied with the statement given by the BRS MLC in the case. Security was beefed up at Kavitha’s residence and police have set up barricades near her residence. Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged in a recent remand report before a Delhi court that the BRS MLC had changed her phones and numbers during the period of the excise policy case.
CBI is conducting a parallel investigation in the case. ED’s remand copy of arrested Gurugram businessman Amit Arora, who is alleged to be an aide of prime accused Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, states that the BRS MLC Kavitha, also the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was among 35 persons contacted by Arora over the past one year. The CBI notice to Ms. Kavitha followed a remand report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate in court on November 30 following the arrest of Amit Arora by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Apart from Ms. Kavitha, YSR Congress Party MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy and his son Raghava were also mentioned by the agency. The ED alleged that Kavitha changed her phone’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) six times after the case was handed over to the agency.
Furthermore, the agency said the accused destroyed digital evidence in an attempt to hamper the ongoing investigation into the matter. 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 MLC Kavita, Srujan Reddy, Arun Pillai, Abhishek Boinapally, Butchi Babu Gorantla, and Sharath Reddy.” This was stated by the ED in its remand report. The CBI on November 25 filed its first charge sheet in the Delhi excise policy case against seven accused. “As per the investigation carried out so far, Vijay Nair, on behalf of leaders of AAP has received kickbacks to the tune of at least Rs 100 crore from a group, called South Group (controlled by Sarath Reddy, Ms K Kavitha, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy) by various persons including Amit Arora,” the ED had said in the remand report filed on one of the accused — Amit Arora — in a Delhi Court.