Reporter TV’s Anto Augustine arrested over excess liquor seized from Wayanad home

The Kalpetta Excise on Thursday morning took into custody Anto Augustine, authorised signatory of Reporter Broadcasting Private Limited (RBC), for allegedly possessing alcohol far in excess of the legally permissible limit.

The move follows the recovery of the alcohol during raids conducted at his residence in Wayanad on Wednesday in connection with a financial fraud case linked to an initiative to bring global football icon Lionel Messi to the state.

He was taken into custody around 5am from the Kochi office of Reporter TV.

According to Kalpetta Excise officials, he has been booked under various sections of the Abkari Act, including Section 58, which pertains to the possession of illicit liquor. They added that 43 litres of foreign liquor, along with additional quantities of homemade wine, were seized from the residence during the raids.

According to the Kerala Excise Department, a person may possess up to three litres of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), 2.5 litres of Foreign Made Foreign Liquor (FMFL) and 3.5 litres of wine.

Officials said he is expected to undergo a medical examination, after which he will be brought to Kalpetta on Thursday itself.

Speaking to the media at the time of his arrest, Anto denied being aware of the liquor, saying he does not drink. “All the documents related to the Messi case have already been submitted, but I am being arrested in a case related to the Excise,” he said. “I have been detained since 2am,” he added.

The arrest follows a series of raids at the Kochi and Wayanad residences of the Augustine brothers and the RBC head office in Kalamassery. The raids followed an FIR registered by the SIT in connection with the multi-crore scam case in Kalamassery. The SIT, which is probing alleged irregularities linked to the proposed visit of the Argentina national football team and Lionel Messi to Kerala, had flagged alleged tax evasion of ₹25.78 crore by Reporter Broadcasting Company Private Limited.

The findings were part of a Detailed Inquiry Report submitted to the Commissioner of the State Goods and Services Tax Department on September 7. The report also flagged alleged financial irregularities involving loans, undisclosed bank accounts and inflated expenditure claims, and recommended a multi-agency probe into several aspects of the transactions.

Reporter Broadcasting Company has condemned the raids and alleged that phones belonging to its staff were seized during the searches.

Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram Cyber Crime Police on Wednesday registered another case against Anto and two unidentified men for allegedly defaming Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan and conspiring to possess a forged marriage certificate purportedly belonging to him.