Thiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a letter to the Director General of Police (DGP), said it had found WhatsApp chats corroborating the statement given by K Waris, a friend of former minister P A Mohammed Riyas, that ₹1.2 crore brought at Riyas's direction was transferred to Dubai through hawala channels. Images of the chats have also been enclosed with the letter.

According to the central agency, the financial trail was facilitated by Waris, who allegedly routed the funds under Riyas's instructions. The ED said that even if Waris retracts his statement during further questioning, his WhatsApp conversations could be used as evidence in the investigation.

DGP Ravada A Chandrasekhar said the police department was awaiting the government's decision on further action in the matter.

Findings in the 'Red Book'
The probe has also thrown light on a separate transaction trail involving T Veena. The ED revealed that a seized 'Red Book' belonging to Veena contains handwritten accounts of transactions beyond the ₹85 lakh sent via hawala channels to a Dubai-based contact named Faijas in September 2024. A note on the second page of the book explicitly reads: 'Total 1,46,600 transferred to Mashreq account of Faijas', pointing to direct overseas banking routes alongside the illicit networks.

The Beypore core team link
Perhaps the most politically damaging allegation in the ED's letter is the suspected nexus between hawala operators and the former minister's official staff. The agency identified a 16-member WhatsApp group titled 'Nammal Beypore Core Team', which surprisingly counted active hawala agents among its participants. The group included PA Mohammed Riyas, his secretaries Midhun Kichu and Vibin, alongside flagged individuals VP Faijas and K Shaijal. While Riyas has defended the group as a coordination platform for the developmental activities of the Beypore constituency, the ED maintains that the presence of money laundering suspects alongside ministerial staff warrants a thorough investigation into the office's potential involvement in the financial network.