C Reddy threatened by K Kavitha to pay Rs 25 crore to AAP: CBI

New Delhi: The CBI informed the Special Court on Friday that BRS leader K Kavitha had "threatened" Aurobindo Pharma Promoter Sharath Chandra Reddy Rs 25 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party for five retail zones given to his company under the Delhi government's excise policy. The CBI was requesting custody of Kavitha.

Kavitha had told Reddy that in case of non-payment of money, his business would be harmed in Telangana and Delhi under the Excise policy, the CBI has alleged.

Reddy, who was an accused under the PMLA case probed by the Enforcement Directorate, had turned an approver in the case. He has not been charged sheeted by the CBI yet.

Seeking custodial interrogation of Kavitha, the CBI told Special Judge Kaveri Baweja that it was on the "insistence and assurance" of Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, that Reddy participated in the liquor business in the national capital.

She assured him that she had contacts in the Delhi government and that she would help him in the liquor business in Delhi under the new excise policy.

"Kavitha further told Sharath Chandra Reddy that the payments of upfront money of Rs 25 crores for wholesale business and Rs 5 crores for each retail zone were to be made to the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi Government for getting liquor business and the same was to be paid to her associates Arun R. Pillai and Abhishek Boinpally, who would in turn coordinate with Vijay Nair, who was a representative of Arvind Kejriwal," the CBI has alleged.

Earlier in the day, a Delhi court sent K Kavitha to CBI custody till April 15 in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

The agency has alleged that in March and May 2021, when the excise policy was being formulated, Kavitha's associates Arun R Pillai, Abhishek Boinpally and Butchibabu Gorantla stayed at Hotel Oberoi in Delhi to swing the policy in their favour through Vijay Nair by inserting provisions.

After receiving assurance of support from Kavitha, Aurobindo Reality and Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd paid Rs 80 lakh to her NGO Telangana Jagruthi, under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in March 2021, the CBI alleged.

"The investigation has further revealed that in June-July 2021, K Kavitha had compelled Sharath Chandra Reddy to enter into a sale agreement with her for an agricultural land situated at Mahboob Nagar, Telangana, although, he was not keen to purchase the said agriculture land and also not aware of the value of the said land," it said.

Kavitha "insisted" he pay Rs 14 crores against the land and "forced" him to enter into a sale agreement through Mahira Ventures Pvt Ltd, one of the companies under Aurobindo Group, in July 2021, the CBI told the court citing the statement of Reddy and its investigation so far.

It said the total payment of Rs 14 crore was made to her through bank transactions -- Rs 7 crore in July 2021 and another seven crore in mid-November 2021.

The agency alleged that in November and December 2021, Kavitha asked Reddy to pay Rs 25 crore at the rate of Rs five crore per Zone for the five retail zones allotted to him.

She had claimed that she herself had paid Rs 100 crores as upfront money on his behalf to the Aam Aadmi Party through Nair for getting favourable provisions in the Excise Policy.

"However, when Sarath Chandra Reddy showed his reluctance to pay the demanded money, K Kavitha threatened Sarath Chandra Reddy to harm his business in Telangana and in Delhi under the Excise Policy," the agency alleged, citing Reddy's statement.

The Aam Admi Party had alleged on March 24 that Reddy's company has given Rs 59.5 crore to the BJP through Electoral Bonds.

"The companies owned by Sarath Reddy bought electoral bonds and donated money to the BJP. Now, this money trail has been exposed in front of the country. Reddy purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 4.5 crore while the excise policy was being formulated and after his arrest, he purchased electoral bonds worth Rs 55 crore and the money went to the BJP. So the money trail that has been sought for the past two years is here," Delhi Minister Atishi had alleged.

With PTI inputs