Bengaluru: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has tightened its noose around Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of CPM's Kerala secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, who is currently in custody in connection with the money trail related to a city-based drug racket.
While seeking the extension of his custody at the City Civil and Sessions Court, the ED officials stated that Bineesh was indeed engaged in drug trade. The ED also informed the court that Bineesh consumed drugs and that he was a habitual offender having at least 10 cases in Kerala and Dubai.
The central agency also said the accused had launched two benami event management companies within and outside Kerala. The companies were started in the name of Rajeesh Raveendran who was arrested along with his aide Anoop Mohammed over the drug racket case.
The discrepancies in the tax returns filed by the company were also being probed.
The ED also informed the court that Anoop had given a statement earlier that he became a close friend of Bineesh while using drugs. Anoop has already deposed to the ED that Bineesh is his 'boss' and that he is only a benami in drug trade.
Between 2012 and 2019 Bineesh and Anoop transacted about Rs 5 crore. Of this amount Rs 3.5 crore was black money, the ED added.
The ED had earlier revealed huge sums of money were transferred not only to Anoop's account but also to the accounts of Bineesh in Kerala and these transactions are being investigated.
It is learned that the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) will also seek Bineesh’s custody after his ED remand period gets over.
Bineesh was arrested on October 29 following which a city court had sent him to the agency's custody till November 2. On Sunday, he was taken to the Bowring Hospital in Bengaluru for a check-up after he complained of back pain. His custody was extended by five more days on Monday after the ED accused him of not cooperating with the investigation.
The ED probe stems from a NCB investigation that claimed to have busted an ecstasy pills drug trafficking racket in Karnataka in August along with the arrest of Anoop and two others.
Bineesh had maintained that he knew Anoop and his family and the latter had borrowed money from him and some others for setting up the restaurant business in Bengaluru a few years ago.
The ED is conducting investigations into two firms owned by Bineesh - B Capital Forex and B Capital Services - after officials found that the companies, had not carried out any normal transactions.
