The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out searches at the residence of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan in connection with the ongoing Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) money laundering investigation.
Former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s residence was visited by ED team. (PTI)
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According to officials, around 10 premises across Kerala were searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These included Vijayan’s rented accommodation in the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, PTI reported.
Kerala HC dismisses CMRL petition
Earlier, the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by CMRL seeking to quash ED proceedings in the ongoing bribery and money laundering investigation, Live Law reported.
After the ruling, counsel for CMRL sought a two-week extension of the interim protection order that had prevented the summoning of company officials. The court declined the request.
The court said, “I’m not really inclined. I don’t think it should be done. Even otherwise, I feel that without a further notice, they’ll not be able to do anything. So when a further notice comes, you are always free to.”
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The petition was filed by senior officials of CMRL, including members of its top management, seeking to quash the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and stall summons issued by the ED.
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The petition was filed by senior officials of CMRL, including members of its top management, seeking to quash the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and stall summons issued by the ED.
The case involves allegations that CMRL made alleged illegal payments to Exalogic Solutions, a company linked to the family of former Pinarayi Vijayan, along with wider charges of bribery and money laundering.
The ED initiated proceedings under the PMLA and the investigation remains ongoing.
How is Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter involved?
While Vijayan is not directly named as an accused, the case has drawn attention due to allegations of questionable payments made by CMRL to Exalogic Solutions Pvt Ltd, an IT firm reportedly associated with his daughter, Veena Thaikkandiyil, as per PTI.
Separately, the ED also conducted searches on Tuesday at five locations in Madurai and Chennai in a major narcotics-linked money laundering probe. The case involves an alleged drug trafficking network accused of smuggling large quantities of contraband, including 99 kg of hashish and 37.5 kg of methamphetamine (“ice”) through sea routes to Sri Lanka.
Officials said the syndicate, allegedly led by John Britto and associates, came under investigation following complaints by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Acting on Coast Guard inputs, the DRI had earlier seized 99 kg of hashish from a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Mannar on March 5, 2024. They arrested three individuals allegedly transporting the consignment on Britto’s instructions.
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.
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Home/India News/Ex-Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's house raided by ED in money laundering case
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