Thiruvananthapuram: It began as a tax fraud probe involving Reporter Broadcasting Company (RBC) but has now snowballed into a much wider inquiry, with multiple government agencies examining nearly a dozen alleged financial, regulatory and criminal violations involving Anto Augustine and his associates.

The government had initially ordered a probe into alleged tax fraud by Reporter Broadcasting Company. But as investigators dug deeper, fresh allegations surfaced, widening the inquiry from the Sports and GST departments to the Home and Excise departments.

The widening web of allegations

• Tax evasion of ₹25.78 crore: Financial transactions carried out by RBC in connection with the proposed visit of the Argentina football team to Kerala allegedly involved tax evasion of ₹25.78 crore. (GST and IGST authorities)
• Input tax credit of ₹2.75 crore: The company allegedly availed itself of input tax credit of ₹2.75 crore in connection with the renovation of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi and club membership fees. (GST and IGST authorities)
• Property value inflated: Properties purchased for ₹9.94 crore were allegedly valued at ₹154.38 crore within a year and offered as security for a loan. (GST and IGST authorities)
• Stadium renovation costs: Although the sponsor claimed to have spent ₹70 crore on the renovation of the Kaloor stadium, the GCDA engineering wing assessed the value of the work at only ₹8.42 crore. (GST and IGST authorities)
• ₹234.31 crore unaccounted for: Of the ₹549.22 crore credited to bank accounts, ₹212.75 crore was loan money. Of the remaining ₹336.47 crore, only ₹102.06 crore was disclosed in GST returns, leaving ₹234.31 crore unaccounted for. (GST and IGST authorities)
• Excise case: The state excise department registered a case after finding 43 litres of foreign liquor and 22 litres of wine allegedly being kept illegally at his house in Wayanad. (Excise department)
• 36 cases over alleged timber fraud: The state police have registered 36 cases against Roji Augustine, Josekutty Augustine and Anto Augustine for allegedly making crores of rupees by selling timber smuggled from the Muttil area under the Meppadi forest range in Wayanad after passing it off as legally sourced timber. (State police)
• Argentina deal before government nod: A sponsorship agreement with the Argentina Football Association was signed before the state government's approval was obtained. (Sports department)
• Contract signed without government consent: A contract was signed with the Australian football team for a proposed match against Argentina in Kerala without the consent of the state government. (Sports department)
• Represented himself as company MD: The police SIT found that Anto Augustine attended government meetings claiming to be the managing director of Reporter Broadcasting Company. (Police SIT)
• Money transferred without the government's knowledge: Money was transferred to the Argentina Football Association without the knowledge of the state government. (Sports department)
• ED probe: The Enforcement Directorate has registered a case over suspected violations of rules in connection with the transfer of money by the Argentina Football Association. (Enforcement Directorate)

Criminal cases pile up
The allegations against Anto Augustine and his associates, meanwhile, extend beyond financial transactions. The home department said Anto is an accused in cases involving attempted murder, criminal conspiracy, assault on government officials, financial fraud, breach of trust and forgery, among other offences.

The Kalamassery police recently registered the 16th case against him. Of the other cases pending against Anto, eight are at Meenangadi police station in Wayanad and two at Ernakulam Central police station. He is also facing a case in Mangaluru, Karnataka.