ED conducts fresh searches in Kerala's CMRL-Exalogic money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted fresh searches at multiple locations in Kerala as part of its money-laundering investigation linked to the CMRL-Exalogic Solutions case in which former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter Veena was questioned, officials said.

They said eight locations in Kozhikode are being covered as part of the action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The latest action is a follow-up of the raids that were conducted against Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) in May, officials said.

Those allegedly involved in the money trail, including a politically linked person, are being searched, they said. It is alleged by the ED that CMRL made fraudulent payments worth Rs 2.78 crore to Veena's now-defunct company Exalogic Solutions under the guise of ''IT consultancy services''.

The federal agency had raided Veena, who was living with Vijayan at a rented accommodation in state capital Thiruvananthapuram, in June and subsequently questioned her.