Kochi: The CBI investigation into the secret dealings done under the guise of the Life Mission project by the accused in the Trivandrum Airport gold smuggling case is now focusing on a transaction that is said to have happened by a roadside in Kowdiar.

Santosh Eapen, the owner of Unitac, which won the construction contract for the Wadakkanchery project for Rs 18.60 crore, has told the investigating agency that Rs 3.80 crore changed hands near a coffee shop in Kowdiar on the night of August 2, 2019. The CBI is now trying to ascertain the veracity of his statement.

Unitac has to pay Rs 3.34 crore as GST for the project. The company has not yet disclosed who has to pay the amount as per the contract.

The Wadakkanchery project is being implemented by Red Crescent under the supervision of the UAE Consulate. The Consulate has so far paid only Rs 14.50 crore to Unitac for the Rs 18.60-crore project. Unitac was informed that the GST amount would be paid by the Consulate.

It is in this context that the CBI is examining whether the statement of Santosh Eapen is true. The CBI is also investigating whether Khalid Mohammed Ali Shoukri, could have given this amount to Santosh Eapen as black money.

Khalid, was expelled from the UAE consulate along with Swapna Suresh. He was accused of receiving bribe in the Life Mission Project deal.

Swapna Suresh had told Unitac that Sivasankar, who was the principal secretary to the chief minister, had informed her that the project would be eligible for GST exemption as it was meant for those who had lost their homes in the floods.

This plan, however, fell by the wayside after Sivasankar got suspended and Swapna was arrested in the wake of the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case that was detected at the Trivandrum airport on July 5.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had found that Swapna had kept the $20,000 (Rs 14.40 lakh) that she had received as gift from the UAE Consul General in August 2019, as foreign currency in Khalid's home.

The CBI suspects that those involved in the transaction at Kowdiar are hiding the truth in the belief that investigating agencies will not be able to question Khalid, who is an Egypt national.