ED raids Bineesh's close associates in Thiruvananthapuram
The Enforcement Directorate has started their raids alongside the Income Tax department at various locations connected with Bineesh Kodiyeri in Kerala. The ED had arrested Bineesh in connection with the Bengaluru drug case, on the admission of the prime accused Anoop Muhammed. After further investigation, the ED discovered discrepancies between the bank statements and Income Tax reports, creating a need for the raids. Moreover, the agency has found that Bineesh had financial dealings with Anoop worth over Rs 5 crore, and they believe that Anoop is Bineesh’s benamidar. The raids are also targeted at locations connected with those close to Bineesh.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the ED had started their raid at Bineesh’s house, Kodiyeri, but faced a delay, as there was none to open the door. The team arrived around 9 am at the house and Bineesh’s relatives arrived to open the door around an hour later. The ED is also targeting Bineesh’s business associates such as Abdul Jaffar, Anand Padmanabhan, Arun Varghese, and Abdul Latheef. The ED had already claimed that Latheef is a benamidar for Bineesh, and the latter had many investments in various businesses in the city. This also included Torres Remedies by Anand Padmanabhan and Mahesh Vaidyanathan, which the ED claims have been used to launder money. The ED is also raiding Car Palace, owned by Latheef, and the agency has inquired into Capito Lights and KK Rocks Quarry in the capital city. The officers are also raiding the houses of the persons of interest, and one of them is the Thalasseri house of the former office-bearer of Kannur Cricket Association Muhammed Anas.
On Monday, the Bengaluru Special Court had handed over Bineesh’s custody to ED for five more days. During the trial, the officers revealed that Bineesh might have financial transactions with Anoop Muhammed over Rs 5 crore. The latter is a prime accused in the drug peddling case, and he admitted to being Bineesh’s benamidar. The agency has also reported that Bineesh has not been cooperative while Bineesh maintains that he had only helped Anoop as a friend by giving him financial support to start a hotel in Bengaluru.
The ED said that they couldn’t question Bineesh for two days, due to the latter reporting he was not feeling well. Bineesh complained of back pain and the agency took him to a hospital. Bineesh’s lawyers had argued during the trial that because of Bineesh’s bad health he is not being handed over to ED again. They also added that the ED had not allowed them to visit their client. This was about how the ED denied them visitation when Binoy Kodiyeri and the lawyers arrived to see Bineesh.
