Overlapping investigations by different Central law enforcement agencies into the Bengaluru drug bust case appeared to acquire a political dimension in Kerala on Wednesday with Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of CPI (M) State secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, appearing before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi for questioning.
The Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB), which is probing the drug case, had reportedly enlisted the ED to investigate the allegation that Mr. Bineesh had financial transactions with one of the narcotic case suspects, Muhammad Anoop. The agency was purportedly probing whether there was any illicit fund flow between them.
The NCB had also reportedly told the Customs that Muhammad was ‘close’ to K. T. Rameez, an accused in the UAE consulate linked gold smuggling case. Subsequently, the Customs had moved the court last week to question Rameez in prison.
By one account, the Central agencies are trying to ferret out the interrelatedness if any between the two international rackets. The ED, Customs and National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with the NCB have expanded their investigations to cover a broad array of potential offences common to both the gold smuggling and drug trafficking rackets.
The NCB had arrested a Nigerian national in Karnataka in connection with the drug bust. It had raided a premise in Thiruvilwamala in Thrissur. The NIA had arrested a gold merchant in Coimbatore and raided a jewellery chain based in Tamil Nadu.
The ED has not revealed its tack of questioning. But an official privy to the process said the agency was examining two now-defunct firms floated by Mr. Bineesh and others in 2015.
The ED might also be looking into his sources of income and investments if any. The agency was also probing whether Mr. Bineesh had any interests in a currency trading firm that had recently come under the ambit of its investigation into the gold smuggling case.
The anti-drug investigation in Karnataka had become a politically contentious topic in the State last week with Youth League president K. Firoz charging that the name of Mr. Bineesh had figured in a court filing related to the drug bust. He had alleged that the main accused in the drug case had named Mr. Bineesh as a close associate and creditor in the deposition.
(Mr. Bineesh had denied any wrongdoing. He said the person named as accused in the drug case was known to him since 2013. He had lent him money in times of financial crisis. Mr Bineesh said he was unaware of the person's association with drug traffickers. Mr. Balakrishnan had also stated that neither the party nor the government would support wrongdoers.)
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had also joined the Opposition chorus against Mr. Bineesh, accusing him of having partnered with the drug case accused to start a hotel in Bengaluru.
Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday wrote a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to enquire into the allegations against Mr. Bineesh and others. BJP State president K. Surendran had also demanded the same.
