Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a charge sheet naming Bineesh Kodiyeri as the fourth accused in a money laundering case it has registered here. The case is linked to a drug bust in the Garden City a few months ago.
The first three accused in the case are Anoop Mohammad from Kochi, Kannada serial actress D Anikha and Rijesh Raveendran from Thiruvilvamala who were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in August in the drugs case.
Bineesh's lawyer Ranjit Shankar said that Suhas Krishna Gowda, who was earlier arrested by the NCB, has been included as a witness in the charge sheet filed by the ED. In his statement, Suhas said that Bineesh would regularly visit the Royal Suits apartment in Kalyan Nagar, which was rented by Anoop Mohammad, and also consume narcotics substances.
The ED has alleged that the unaccounted money found in Bineesh's account was earned through drug dealings and that there is evidence to show that he had used black money for transactions with Anoop Mohammad, who is suspected to be his benami.
The ED has alleged that Rs 3.95 crore of the Rs 5.17 crore he has shown as income for the years 2012-19 is unaccounted for.
There are discrepancies between the amount in Bineesh’s bank account and his income tax returns, the ED found.
Bineesh, who was arrested on October 29, is currently lodged in the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail. His judicial custody will end on January 6. He is set to approach the High Court questioning the rejection of his bail application.
The ED charge sheet at this juncture is a move likely aimed at preventing him from getting bail. Normally, an accused is eligible for bail if a charge sheet is not filed within 60 days of arrest.
Bineesh is the son of veteran CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
