Kodakara hawala case: Progress in investigation should be informed in three weeks, notice for ED and IT department

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has served a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax Department (IT) in the Kodakara hawala case. Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas has directed to inform the progress in investigation within three weeks. The high court sought explanation from central election commission and state police chief on the issue. The notice was served on the plea filed by Santhosn, 50th witness in the Kodakara theft case.

The plea demanded to complete the investigation soon. The plea alleged that no steps were taken in the investigation.

A car borne team stopped the car at Kodakara on the national highway and snatched the hawala money brought from Kozhikode to Kochi, on the morning of April 3, 2021. The car owner filed a complaint of losing Rs 25 lakh, but during police investigation, it was found that Rs 3.5 crore was missing.

It was alleged that this was black money given by the Karnataka unit of the BJP to be spent in the assembly elections, but the party had denied this. A few days ago, the former secretary of the BJP office, Tirur Satheesh, had made a crucial disclosure in the case. Satheesh revealed that BJP's election fund was delivered in the form of hawala money amounting to crores. He had also said that rooms were booked for those who brought money, as requested by the district treasurer.