ED examines Pinarayi Vijayan daughter's bank locker in money laundering case
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday examined the bank locker of Veena T, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, as part of a money
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday examined the bank locker of Veena T, daughter of former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, as part of a money laundering case linked to her now-defunct IT firm Exalogic and its alleged connections with mining company Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL). The examination took place at an HDFC Bank branch in Thiruvananthapuram in Veena's presence. The move came two days after she was questioned for more than nine hours at the ED's Kochi office in connection with the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Read Full Story Television visuals showed central security force personnel deployed outside the bank during the examination of the locker. Responding to questions from reporters at a press conference after the presentation of the Budget, Vijayan played down the development and said the ED had earlier searched his rented accommodation as well. "If they want to see it, let them. You (media) can go with your camera and see if anything big is found when the locker is opened," he said with a laugh. The ED probe relates to allegations that CMRL made payments of Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic without receiving any services in return.
According to the agency, another firm, Empower India Capital Investments Private Limited, run by CMRL Managing Director Sasidharan Kartha, had also given loans worth Rs 50 lakh to Exalogic despite the company allegedly failing to repay them on time. The agency has alleged that Veena and the management of CMRL generated "proceeds of crime" through these transactions. The ED registered the case under the PMLA on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office before a court in Ernakulam in April 2025. The SFIO is the investigation arm of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
CMRL had come under the scanner of central agencies after an Income Tax Department search in January 2019 allegedly found financial irregularities, including expenses suspected to be fictitious and amounting to around Rs 130 crore. The latest ED action is part of that wider investigation into the alleged financial dealings involving Exalogic and CMRL. Ends
The BriefWire