Foreign currency smuggling case | Customs to question Vinodhini Balakrishnan
[ad_1]
Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate has requested Vinodhini Balakrishnan, spouse of former CPI(M) State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, to seem earlier than it on March 10 in reference to the probe into the overseas currency smuggling case involving officers of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
The company will question her primarily based on the inference that she was utilizing one of many costly cellphones handed over by Santhosh Eapen, Managing Director of Unitac Builders to Swapna Suresh, the second accused within the high-profile diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case, as bribe.
He had earlier filed a press release earlier than the Kerala High Court that 5 costly telephones got together with 4.8 crore as fee to bag the UAE consulate’s contract to assemble 140 dwellings in Thrissur through the federal government’s Life Mission programme to present free housing for the poor. The UAE Red Crescent had provided to underwrite the venture by way of the nation’s diplomatic mission in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Customs Preventive Commissionerate had arrested Mr. Eapen on February 16 within the case associated to the smuggling of {dollars}’ value 1.30 crore complete stating that he had info that the cash he gave as fee for acquiring the contract of the Life Mission tasks was illegally transformed into overseas alternate and smuggled overseas.
The central company is learnt to have discovered that Ms. Vinodhini Balakrishnan was utilizing one of many 5 cellphones handed over by Mr. Santhosh Eapen to Ms. Swapna Suresh. The investigating officers have come throughout proof exhibiting that the cellphone was in possession of Ms. Vinodhini Balakrishnan despite the fact that it was not used after the gold smuggling case hit the headlines.
Ms. Swapna Suresh had handed over one of many costly telephones to M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who was arrested within the cash laundering and diplomatic baggage gold smuggling instances. He was launched on bail in February.
Dear subscriber,
Thank you!
Your assist for our journalism is invaluable. It’s a assist for fact and equity in journalism. It has helped us preserve apace with occasions and happenings.
The Puucho has all the time stood for journalism that’s within the public curiosity. At this tough time, it turns into much more vital that we’ve got entry to info that has a bearing on our well being and well-being, our lives, and livelihoods. As a subscriber, you aren’t solely a beneficiary of our work but additionally its enabler.
We additionally reiterate right here the promise that our group of reporters, copy editors, fact-checkers, designers, and photographers will ship high quality journalism that stays away from vested curiosity and political propaganda.
[ad_2]
