The Enforcement Directorate (ED) quizzed Bineesh Kodiyeri, the son of the Kerala CPI(M) chief Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, for six straight hours at its office in Bengaluru on Monday for his association with the accused in a drug peddling case. While Bineesh accepted that he funded the business of the accused, Anoop Mohammed, he denied any knowledge of the latter engaging in drug peddling, sources in the ED told TNM.
The Enforcement Directorate officials quizzed Bineesh about the funds he gave to Anoop for opening Hayat Hotel at Kammanahalli in Bengaluru. According to the sources, Bineesh told the officials that he had given Rs 6 lakh out of the agreed amount of Rs 50 lakh to Anoop, a Kerala native.
In August, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested Anoop and two others from Bengaluru for allegedly possessing drugs. They have been accused of having supplied drugs to Kannada film actors and singers. It was following Anoop’s arrest that it surfaced that Bineesh Kodiyeri had funded his business, under which he allegedly peddled drugs. It also surfaced that Bineesh had alleged links with a company that was connected to the controversial Kerala gold smuggling case.
Following this, Bineesh was booked by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and also reportedly under various sections of UAPA or Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The ED has also sought details of Bineesh's property transactions from the revenue officials in Kerala and directed them not to allow any transaction on his immovable assets without prior intimation to the investigating agency.
Bineesh was earlier questioned at ED’s Kochi office last month. During the interrogation, he maintained that he was not aware of Anoop’s alleged drug peddling links. Following this, the NCB had also sought the details of the statements Bineesh had given to the Enforcement Directorate.
The youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had alleged that Bineesh Kodiyeri has close links with some members of a drug racket busted by the Narcotics Control Bureau in Bengaluru.