Chargesheet links Kodakara black money to BJP; Thiroor Satheesh given security

The police chargesheet in the Kodakara black money case states that the stolen funds were connected to the BJP. According to the document, Kozhikode native Dharmarajan, accused in the case, was a close associate of BJP leaders and served as an agent in black money dealings. Police also claim he had close ties with BJP state president K Surendran.

Meanwhile, BJP's former office secretary Thiroor Satheesh is set to provide a statement to the police regarding the black money case on Saturday. The investigation team handling the Kodakara money heist is resuming its probe and plans to send another letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), incorporating Satheesh's statement in its report. In response to recent threats, police have provided security at Satheesh’s residence.

Since an FIR is already in place, no new first information report will be filed despite these developments. The police plan to submit Satheesh’s statement to the court and share it with the ED. According to Satheesh's claims the stolen black money was stored at the BJP office. Since only the ED has jurisdiction over black money cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, it limits the police’s legal capacity to proceed further.

Recognising these legal constraints, Kerala Police had initially requested an investigation by the ED three years ago. However, the ED has reportedly not made progress on the case since it implicated the BJP. With by-elections approaching, the BJP is on the defensive, while sources suggest the ED may initiate cases involving CPM leaders as a countermeasure.

The state government had on Friday decided to conduct further investigation into the 2021 Kodakara hawala case. The decision came after a meeting between the chief minister and the DGP.

Thiroor Satheesh's allegation
According to Thiroor Satheesh, cash-filled bags labelled as election campaign materials arrived at the party’s Thrissur district office at 11 pm on April 2, 2021. He said the money was transported with the knowledge of district president Aneesh Kumar. Although he did not know the exact amount, Satheesh mentioned that Dharmarajan, a businessman and party supporter, had brought the funds. He was also instructed to rent out a room for Dharmarajan. The money was later stolen during transport, a theft Satheesh only learned of the next day. He was an office secretary then, so he didn’t disclose these details to the police.

The Kodakara hawala case
On April 4, 2021, just three days before the Kerala assembly elections, a staged accident at 4.40 am in Kodakara led to the hijacking of a vehicle carrying Rs 3.5 crore. The Special Investigation Team later determined this money was intended as BJP funds, transported from Karnataka to the BJP district treasurer in Alappuzha. The first charge sheet submitted to the Irinjalakuda First Class Magistrate Court listed 23 arrests and 19 witnesses, including BJP leaders. Of the looted amount, Rs 1.4 crore remains unaccounted for.