The CBI is probing if the three arrested are indeed Kavitha Maloth's Personal Assistants.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has caught three individuals receiving a bribe at Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) MP Kavitha Maloth's official residence in the national capital while claiming to be her personal assistants (PAs). One of the three arrested has turned out to be the Parliamentarian's driver.
The CBI arrested Rajib Bhattacharya, Shubangi Gupta, and Durgesh Kumar for taking bribe from one Manmeet Singh Lamba. While Ms Maloth has confirmed to NDTV that Kumar was her driver, she said she did not know the other two. She also refused to comment any further on the matter.
The agency swooped in on trio after receiving a complaint from Mr Lamba, a resident of New Delhi's New Gupta Colony. He had said that Bhattacharya, introducing himself as Ms Maloth's PA, had demanded money for saving his house from getting demolished by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Mr Lamba said Bhattacharya had claimed that an MCD officer known to him could help him in the matter. He was then introduced to Gupta, Ms Maloth's alleged "coordinator".
Gupta then brought in Kumar, introducing him as another of Ms Maloth's PAs. Together, the three sought Rs 5 lakh in bribe to save Mr Lamba's home, the FIR accessed by NDTV said. This amount was then negotiated down to Rs 1 lakh.
Mr Lamba was asked to bring the money to 401, Saraswati Apartments, BD Marg, New Delhi. The Lok Sabha website shows this as Ms Maloth's official address in Delhi.
On receiving his complaint, the CBI team caught Bhattaracharya, Gupta, and Kumar while receiving the bribe.
"Though all three are claiming to be assistants to Kavitha Maloth, their claims are being investigated," CBI sources told NDTV.