ED bribery: Money diverted to shell company's account; inspection at Mumbai

KOCHI: The bank account of the middleman belongs to a shell company in the case of trying to settle the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case by accepting bribes. There is a company in Thane, Mumbai with only a board called Boro Commodities. Its owners also have no clear idea about the company.

One of the owners is a driver. More information about the fraudulent company was obtained during the direct inspection by the vigilance team. The vigilance team found that all the money taken for the ED officials had reached the account of this company. The vigilance team stayed in Thane for three days to collect maximum digital evidence. The one-room establishment was closed. The second address is also fake.

The complainant, a cashew nut businessman from Kollam, was given the bank account of Boro Commodities by intermediaries. The instruction was to pay Rs 2 crore, Rs 50 lakh in four instalments. A long investigation into this bank account is what led to the shell company. It is reported that the first accused ED officer Shekhar Kumar and the second accused middleman Wilson committed a widespread fraud. The third accused Mukesh Kumar is suspected of having a hawala transaction. It is reported that he is behind the bank account.

Vigilance records statements

It is learnt that from five people who informed the Vigilance that the ED had demanded a huge bribe to drop the case, the statement of a trader from Ernakulam who paid Rs 25 lakhs was recorded. The statements of the other four people may be recorded soon. They too agreed to reveal the fact that they had been asked for bribes after Aneesh Babu approached the Vigilance. The Vigilance has received crucial information from the iPhone of the third accused, Chartered Accountant Ranjith Warrier, who was the agents' assistant.

Approached to be exempted, paved the way for a big case

A police case was registered against Anish for allegedly defrauding several people of Rs 24.73 crore by promising to import cashew nuts from Africa at a low price. The ED had conducted a preliminary investigation in this case and questioned the complainant. Later, the accused approached him promising to be exempted from the ED case. However, Anish informed the Vigilance about this and caught the middlemen red-handed.