ED official seeks anticipatory bail after accused of corruption by Kerala Vigilance

Kochi, May 24 (IANS) Three days after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore the credibility of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a top ED official posted with the Kochi unit approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail.

The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming ED Assistant Director Sekhar Kumar as the first accused in a high-profile alleged corruption case in which three arrests have already been made.

Kumar in his plea has said that he has done no wrong and has got nothing to do in the so-called corruption case and with the three people who were arrested.

He also added that he fears arrest and seeks bail and is agreeable to any conditions put forward by the Court.

The VACB had earlier this week arrested three people which include chartered accountant Ranjith Warrier, middleman Wilson and Rajasthan resident Mukesh Jain, who has been settled in Kochi for long.

On Friday, the three arrested secured bail and reacting to this development, the VACB top official S. Sasidharan said granting of bail to the trio is no setback.

"We are going forward with our probe and we are confident of getting more evidence," Sasidharan added.

The case revolves around a Kollam-based businessman engaged in cashew exports to an African country, who reportedly suffered significant financial losses during the Covid-19 pandemic after being defrauded by a foreign client.

This led to an investigation by the ED, during which the businessman was issued summons.

Around this time, Wilson allegedly approached the businessman, claiming he had influential contacts within the ED and could help him "settle" the case.

Wilson demanded Rs 2 crore to be paid in four equal instalments, promising that the ED inquiry would be dropped.

Shortly thereafter, the businessman received a second ED summon -- just as Wilson had predicted -- raising his suspicions.

When Wilson later asked for Rs 2 lakh in cash, the businessman alerted VACB officials.

To establish evidence, the businessman was advised to hand over the cash and also make a bank transfer, enabling the officials to track the money trail.

Wilson was caught red-handed while collecting the cash and was taken into custody.

Later, the VACB officials arrested Jain and Warrier.

The VACB has claimed that they have with them incriminating documents recovered from Warrier, which point fingers at the ED official.

--IANS

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