Latest news with #Kollam-based
The Hindu
a day ago
- The Hindu
Corruption case: Vigilance uncovers alleged Thane-based shell company used to divert bribe
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), Ernakulam unit, has claimed to have uncovered an alleged shell company in Thane, Maharashtra, in connection with the corruption case in Kerala in which three persons were arrested on the charge of attempting to take a bribe of ₹2 crore from a businessman to allegedly get him off the hook of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The case had taken a dramatic turn after it emerged that the VACB had arraigned an officer of the ED Kochi unit as the key accused. The VACB has so far arrested Wilson Varghese, 36, of Thammanam, Mukesh Kumar, 55, of Rajasthan, and Ranjith Warrier, a Kochi-based chartered accountant. The VACB suspects that all the three have served as intermediaries for collecting pay-offs from people facing potential investigation by the enforcement agency. Shekhar Kumar, assistant director of the Kochi unit of the ED is under the scanner of the VACB. The VACB sources said they were verifying whether there are such shell companies were involved in the case. Incidentally, Wilson, during the interrogation, had reportedly told VACB that the third accused, Mukesh, had given him the account details of a bank account in Thane to which the businessman had transferred ₹50,000. The case was registered on a complaint by a Kollam-based businessman who runs a cashew export-import firm. According to the VACB, the businessman was summoned to the Kochi unit of the ED in 2024 on the grounds that his firm's turnover was very high and that accounts had been forged to mask money laundering. Shortly thereafter, the second accused, Wilson, contacted the businessman with an offer to sort out his ED trouble by paying ₹2 crore to the first accused, stated the remand report. Wilson asked the businessman for ₹2 lakh in liquid cash to be handed over in person to the first accused on May 15, 2025. Following this, the businessman lodged a complaint with the VACB. The enforcement agency registered a case after pre-verification and set a trap for Wilson when he turned up to collect the marked currency notes worth ₹2 lakh from the businessman on May 16. During his interrogation, Wilson claimed that he was just a middleman and named the third accused, Mukesh, and claimed that he had come to collect the money at his instance., according to the remand report.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Bribery case: Won't arrest ED assistant director for now, state govt tells Kerala high court
Kochi: The state govt has submitted before HC that assistant director Sekhar Kumar of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kochi, would not be arrested in the alleged bribery case till June 11. The submission was made by the additional director general of prosecution (ADGP) during the hearing of Kumar's pre-arrest bail plea, which was adjourned by the bench of Justice P G Ajith Kumar to that date after the prosecution sought more time to obtain instructions from the state. The court also recorded the assurance given by the ADGP. The case, registered by the vigilance department, alleges that Kumar demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore from Aneesh Babu, a Kollam-based cashew businessman, through two middlemen, in exchange for halting an ED investigation against him. Earlier, a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) had been registered against Babu, based on an FIR alleging that he collected advance payments from local traders by promising to supply imported cashew nuts at prices below international rates, but failed to deliver. Subsequently, two individuals, Wilson Varghese and Mukesh Kumar, allegedly approached Babu on behalf of the ED officer and demanded Rs 2 crore to stop the investigation. Acting on Babu's complaint, vigilance officials arrested both middlemen. During interrogation, they named Sekhar Kumar, leading to his arraignment as the first accused. Sekhar Kumar, however, contends that there is no evidence linking him to the arrested individuals. He maintains that he has been falsely implicated with ulterior motives and vexatious intent.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
VACB asks ED officer for details in ‘corruption' case
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has sought documents from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) pertaining to a case investigated by an ED officer of the Kochi unit arraigned by the VACB in a corruption case. S. Sasidharan, Superintendent of VACB, Ernakulam unit, visited the officer and handed over a letter to that effect. This was a follow-up to a letter the VACB had sent to the ED on May 22 seeking details of the case. Mr. Sasidharan told the media that the response from the ED had been encouraging. 'We have given a letter asking for specific records needed for the investigation,' he said. The VACB, he said, was analysing data retrieved from the gadgets seized from the accused and the content was voluminous. 'We have covered a portion of it and a lot more needs to be done. A decision on whether to summon the accused officer would be taken after completing the data analysis. More allegations have come up and they are being verified,' Mr. Sasidharan said. The VACB had arrested three persons for allegedly demanding ₹2 crore from a Kollam-based businessman to get him off the ED hook. Shekhar Kumar, an assistant director with the ED, was named as the first accused in the case. But he has neither been questioned nor arrested.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Bribery case: Vigilance seeks documents from ED officer
Kochi: The vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (VACB) handed over a letter to the enforcement directorate (ED) seeking documents relating to a case investigated by an ED officer who was booked by VACB, alleging corruption. VACB SP S Sasidharan visited the officer — ED Kochi assistant director Shekhar Kumar — and handed over the letter. Sasidharan said that VACB sent out a letter on May 22, seeking details of the case. He said ED's response was good and that it suggested specific records be sought relating to the case. "Based on that response, we gave a letter, seeking specific records related to the investigation," he said. Sasidharan mentioned that they were analysing data retrieved from the gadgets seized from the accused. "There is a huge quantity of data. We covered a portion of it and there is a lot more work to do. Gadgets, including an Apple phone, need to be analysed. Only then can we find a result," he said. Sasidharan added that a decision on whether to summon Kumar would be made after completing the data analysis. He also mentioned that more similar allegations had come up and they were probing them. The case pertains to the incident in which VACB arrested two individuals for allegedly demanding Rs 2 crore from a Kollam-based businessman by offering to 'settle' an ED investigation. Kumar was named the first accused in the case, but he was neither questioned nor arrested. VACB also arrested a chartered accountant, Ranjit Warrier, in connection with the case.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Hans India
Kerala HC gives ED official interim protection from arrest
In an interim order, the Kerala High Court on Monday barred the arrest of the Enforcement Directorate's Assistant Director in Kochi, Sekhar Kumar, till June 11. Trouble started for Kumar last month when the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming him as the first accused in a high-profile alleged corruption case in which three arrests have already been made. The VACB had arrested three people - chartered accountant Ranjith Warrier, middleman Wilson, and Rajasthan resident Mukesh Jain, who has been settled in Kochi for a long time. The case revolves around a Kollam-based businessman engaged in cashew exports to an African country, who reportedly suffered significant financial losses during the Covid-19 pandemic after being defrauded by a foreign client. This led to an investigation by the ED, during which the businessman was issued a summons. Around this time, Wilson allegedly approached the businessman, claiming he had influential contacts within the ED and could help him "settle" the case. Wilson demanded Rs 2 crore to be paid in four equal instalments, promising that the ED inquiry would be dropped. Shortly thereafter, the businessman received a second ED summons -- just as Wilson had predicted, leading him to get suspicious. When Wilson later asked for Rs 2 lakh in cash, the businessman alerted VACB officials. To establish evidence, the businessman was advised to hand over the cash and also make a bank transfer, enabling the officials to track the money trail. Wilson was caught red-handed while collecting the cash and was taken into custody. Later, the VACB officials arrested Jain and Warrier. It was at this time that Kumar moved an anticipatory bail at the High Court. In his petition, he said that he has done no wrong, has nothing to do with the so-called corruption case and with the three people who were arrested. He also added that he fears arrest and seeks bail and is agreeable to any conditions put forward by the court. The Court will now hear the petition on June 11. Meanwhile, the VACB team on Monday evening arrived at the Kochi office of the ED to collect more information in the case.
