Hyderabad, Mar 23 (IANS): The ED officials on Saturday conducted searches at the premises of close relatives of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader, K Kavitha in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

The ED officials began the searches early in the morning at the flat of a relative of Kavitha at an apartment building in Madhapur area in the city.

The searches at the premises of some close relatives are reported to be based on the information given by Kavitha during her questioning in the ED’s custody.

The central agency is understood to be probing their role in the case.

The ED officials earlier questioned two personal assistants of the BRS leader and seized their mobile phones.

The agency is looking into their alleged role in deleting data from mobile phones.

Kavitha, daughter of BRS President and former Telangana Chief Minister, KC Rao, was arrested by the ED in Hyderabad on March 15. The same day she was taken to Delhi and remanded to ED’s custody.

Kavitha’s ED custody is ending on Saturday (March 23) and she will be produced in the trial court later in the day.

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to grant bail to Kavitha and told her to approach the trial court for the same.

The ED has alleged that Kavitha was a part of the ‘South Group’ which allegedly paid kickbacks of Rs.100 crore to AAP leaders.

Partners of the ‘South Group’ were allegedly given 65 per cent stake in Indospirit.