Bengaluru/Kochi: Bineesh Kodiyeri, the sixth accused in a case related to the financing of a drug racket, has likely dropped the names of some film stars.
Soon after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday and the subsequent remand by a local court, the son of Kerala CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, was shifted to the Wilson Garden police station.
The ED has been granted four-day custody of Bineesh.
Bineesh was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for his financial transactions with Anoop Mohammad, a resident of Vennala, Kochi. The latter was nabbed by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) during the seizure of ecstasy tablets on August 21.
The investigations carried out by the Kochi Unit of ED had found that certain film functionaries had also invested in Anoop's drug business on the guarantee of Bineesh. Mithun C Vilas, a resident of Kochi who is known as DJ Kokachi and who is also an accused in drug racket case, had given a similar statement before the Bengaluru NCB.
He also disclosed that Bineesh had all information regarding drug running between Bengaluru and Kochi.
Bineesh was arrested on the basis of this statement. There is a possibility of investigating officials questioning him jointly along with Anoop.
Anoop's alibi
In his earlier statement, Anoop had claimed that the Rs 50 lakh in his account came from various persons but on the guarantee of Bineesh.
The money came to him through 20 different bank accounts.
During the first phase of questioning on October 6, Bineesh had stated that he had given Rs 6 lakh to Anoop for starting hotel "Hayath" at Kammanahalli in Bengaluru. Earlier Anoop was running a readymade garment business in Kochi.
The investigating agency questioned Anoop again last week to examine the inconsistencies in the statement. Anoop told the investigating officials that he was only a benami in the drug-related transactions.
Bineesh, who came to the ED office at 11 am on Thursday, was questioned for over three-and-a-half hours before being taken into custody.
Bineesh's phone seized
The ED which seized the phone of Bineesh has found that certain numbers and WhatsApp messages had been deleted. Efforts will be made with the help of technical experts to retrieve these numbers and messages. The call records which came out earlier showed that Anoop had spoken to Bineesh 78 times during a period of 80 days before his arrest.
On Thursday, the body language of Bineesh indicated more self-confidence than what was witnessed when he came for questioning on October 6. After the unexpected arrest, post three and half hours questioning, his elder brother Binoy Kodiyeri and two other friends came to the office.
CPM embarrassed
Kerala's leading ruling party, CPM, has been embarrassed by the developments around the Kodiyeri family. The party urges financial rectitude even by family members of its functionaries, but the Bineesh case has proven otherwise.
A CPM central committee 2009 document says: There are complaints against party members about amassment of wealth disproportionate to their known source of income. The family members of party leaders and elected representatives should be careful about such issues. They should refrain from amassing wealth illegally by using their positions. It is not right to use official positions for such transactions or for taking bribe.
The CPM state Plenum 2015 had also flagged such dangers. "In many instances, the leadership often turns a blind eye towards comrades with the habit of alcoholism, those indulging in real estate activities and blade mafia activities and thus in effect support such illegal activities. This is as good as committing the illegal act. If a comrade has wealth disproportionate to his known source of income then that brings disgrace and bad name to the party as a whole," the party code of conduct stated.
