Bengaluru drugs case: NCB takes Bineesh Kodiyeri into custody

His alleged connection with an accused in the Bengaluru drug peddling case is being probed by the NCB.
Bineesh Kodiyeri with NCB officials
Bineesh Kodiyeri with NCB officials
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The Narcotics Control Bureau in Bengaluru has taken Bineesh Kodiyeri, who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate, for questioning for his alleged involvement in the Bengaluru drug peddling case probed by the agency. Bineesh, who is the son of Kerala CPI(M) chief Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, was taken in NCB custody after receiving permission from a Bengaluru court. According to sources, he is being questioned under section 67 (Power to call for information) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. As per the act, Bineesh's arrest can be recorded after questioning if necessary.

Bineesh has been taken into custody due to the alleged links he has with an accused in the Bengaluru drug peddling case. The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Bineesh on October 29 for alleged money laundering, after his name surfaced in relation to one of the accused arrested by NCB in the Bengaluru drug peddling case. The accused Mohammed Anoop, who allegedly peddled drugs, was alleged to be a benami of Bineesh Kodiyeri.

According to reports, Bineesh will be interrogated in NCB custody till Friday. The Enforcement Directorate had recently vetted five companies in Bengaluru and Kochi, of which Bineesh is the director. The agency stated that it suspects the money from the drug peddling might have been funneled into these companies. While three of these companies, including event management firms, have named Bineesh as their director, in two others, both Bineesh and Anoop are named as directors.

The controversies surrounding the Kerala CPI(M) veteran's son surfaced after NCB claimed to have busted an ecstasy pill drug-trafficking racket in Karnataka in August. Anoop, who was Bineesh's friend and with whom Bineesh had alleged business links, was one of the key accused.

The arrest of Bineesh Kodiyeri had come as a blow to the CPI(M), which leads the Left Democratic Front government in the state. Following Bineesh's arrest, his father Kodiyeri Balakrishnan temporarily stepped down from the charge of party state secretary, citing health issues.

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