Anoop reveals more about friendship with Bineesh, Kerala Oppn demands probe

Bineesh Kodiyeri
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's younger son - Bineesh

Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: A day after Youth League's state general secretary P K Firoz accused CPM's Kerala state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son Bineesh of links with drug peddler Mohammed Anoop, Opposition leader in the state Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday demanded probe into the allegations.

BJP state president K Surendran also demanded probe into Bineesh's links with the accused. He alleged that Anoop, who was arrested by central Narcotic Control Bureau (NCB) in Bengaluru on August 28, is a benami of Bineesh Kodiyeri.

Surendran also accused CPM of making party's Kerala headquarters, AKG Centre, in Thiruvananthapuram a "hiding centre for the accused."

Anoop reveals more about Bineesh

Meanwhile, more details about Mohammed Anoop's statement to Central Crime Branch in Bengaluru drug case has also come out.

According to Anoop's statement in the remand report, he started supplying drugs to African students after he arrived in Bengaluru in 2013.

"I started a restaurant in 2015. Bineesh was the one who provided the financial assistance for the restaurant. I sold the restaurant to another group in 2018 due to a crisis. I opened a hotel at the beginning of this year but suffered losses due to the COVID pandemic. That is when I started dealing in drugs again," Anoop said in his statement.

Bineesh had on Wednesday confirmed that Anoop is a friend and he had 'helped' him financially in the past. He had also denied having links with the drug mafia. Bineesh said the news of Anoop's alleged links with drug mafia was a "shocking surprise."

"I have had financial dealings with him. I gave him Rs 6 lakh for a hotel business. He had called me two days before his arrest saying he did not have money to come home. So, I gave him Rs 15,000. I did not know he was a drug dealer," Bineesh said.

"We are close friends. It is not just me, even Anoop's parents are shocked after learning that he was dealing in drugs. I am ready to submit my call list. I do plan to file a defamation suit against anyone as allegations like these are being made against me every day," Bineesh said.

The brand 'BK-47'

In his statements, Anoop has further said that Bineesh had "helped him as a close friend," when his cloth business in Kochi failed. "As a gesture of thanks, I launched shirts under the brand BK-47, an acronym of Bineesh Kodiyeri," Anoop told NCB.

"I got into drug dealing when the clothes business and later the hotel failed," Anoop said in his statement. He also said his relatives and close friends, including Bineesh, were not aware of his drug dealings.

Youth League allegations

On Wednesday, Youth League state general secretary PK Firoz had made serious allegations against Bineesh Kodiyeri and Mohammed Anoop.

"Anoop and Bineesh got in touch with each other several times through phone on the day Swapna Suresh, the main accused in the Trivandrum gold smuggling case, was arrested," he told mediaperson in Kozhikode.

However, Bineesh Kodiyeri has said that he does not remember whether he called Anoop on the day Swapna Suresh was arrested.

Firoz also pointed out that Anoop Muhammed had told the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that Bineesh had given him the money to start a restaurant in Kammanahalli in Bengaluru in 2015. He also released a copy of Anoop's statement.

He also released a photo of Anoop with Bineesh saying it was taken at a night party at Kumarakom on June 19.

The remand report of the arrested persons indicates that the drug mafia had connections with cinema and politicians in Kerala, he said. Firos alleged that there was an attempt to ensure that the investigations in Bengaluru do not extend to Kerala.

The NCB had seized ecstasy or MDMA pills and cash during the raids conducted in various locations in Bengaluru last month. Three people - M Anoop, R Ravindran and Anikha D - were arrested by the agency during these raids. Mohammed Anoop and R Ravindran are said to be Keralites. Anikha D is a former TV serial actress.

MDMA (methylenedioxy- methamphetamine), commonly known as ecstasy, is a party drug that alters mood and its perception is chemically similar to stimulants and hallucinogens. It produces a feeling of increased energy and pleasure.

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