2 months ago
1
The politically delicate Kodakara road heist case, which took spot 3 days earlier the 2021 Assembly polls, volition travel up earlier the Special Court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases connected March 26 (Thursday), a fortnight earlier the adjacent Assembly polls.
A transgression lawsuit booked by the State constabulary successful narration to the midnight heist that took spot connected April 3, 2021, volition travel up earlier the Additional Sessions Court, Irinjalakuda connected March 28.
The 2 cases had attracted wide nationalist attraction aft it was alleged that the cash, which was brought successful from Karnataka to beryllium distributed among the BJP candidates who contested the 2021 Assembly elections, robbed from a car connected the Kodakara highway, successful Thrissur district, connected April 3, 2021.
The robbery came to airy erstwhile Shamjeer, a Kozhikode autochthonal and operator of the car successful which the wealth was reportedly transported, approached the constabulary with a ailment that an magnitude of ₹25 lakh was robbed by astir 10 persons, who came successful 3 cars astatine astir 4.50 a.m. connected April 3, 2021, adjacent Kodakara successful NH 544. The State authorities had besides constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the case, which had generated overmuch governmental interest.
However, the constabulary had concluded successful the last study filed earlier the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Irinjalakuda connected July 23, 2021 that ₹3.50 crore was progressive successful the road heist and not ₹25 lakh arsenic stated by Mr. Shamjeer. The constabulary had besides stated that it had seized astir ₹1.46 Crore successful the signifier of currency and golden from immoderate of the accused. There was nary hint of the remaining ₹2 crore, which was allegedly brought in, the constabulary had reported.
Though the constabulary had stated successful the chargesheet that the wealth was brought successful with the cognition of the BJP State leaders, the enactment leaders duly denied it.
The constabulary person arraigned 22 radical arsenic the accused and listed 12 BJP leaders, including erstwhile State president K. Surendran, erstwhile enactment organising caput M. Ganesh, Thrissur territory president K.K. Aneesh Kumar and 9 others, arsenic the witnesses successful the case.
In its last ailment filed earlier the Special Court, Kochi, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) gave a cleanable chit to BJP leaders. While the constabulary listed 12 BJP leaders arsenic witnesses successful the case, the ED’s database of witnesses included Dharmaraj, Sunil Nayik, Shijin and Dhnanaraj among others. The bureau had besides named 23 persons arsenic the accused successful the case. It had besides been mentioned successful the last ailment that ₹3.56 crore, which was fixed by 1 Dharmaraj for the acquisition of a edifice successful Alappuzha, was looted astatine Kodakara. The ED has besides informed the tribunal that Dharmaraj had revealed the root of wealth that was reportedly brought successful the car and that the bureau had recovered ₹3 lakh and provisionally attached immovable properties worthy ₹8 lakh successful the case.
The probe of the Income Tax section into the lawsuit is inactive nether way, according to the officials of the department.
