Kochi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is entering the final phases of procedures to attach the assets of Veena Vijayan, daughter of the Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan, in connection with the high-profile CMRL–Exalogic financial transactions case. Investigators at the ED's Kochi zonal office are finalising the paperwork, and properties belonging to officials of Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL) involved in the case are also expected to be attached.

Earlier this month, a team of ED officials visited the Pinarayi and Pathiriyad villages in Kannur to inspect land records and locations. According to investigators, a plot of 80 cents along the Pinarayi–Parapram road is registered under Veena’s name. The team also surveyed land adjacent to Pinarayi Vijayan’s ancestral house in Pathiriyad village, which is similarly suspected to belong to his daughter. Prior to this, the agency had frozen a bank account belonging to Veena Vijayan containing ₹1.5 lakh.

The case stems from an Income Tax Department raid on CMRL in January 2019, which unearthed nearly ₹130 crore in bogus expenses. Among these under-the-table dealings were allegedly fraudulent payments totaling ₹2.78 crore transferred to Veena’s IT firm, Exalogic Solutions, masked as fees for IT consultancy services that were reportedly never rendered.

Directives for stringent action

Prashant Kumar, the Special Director and South Zone head of the Enforcement Directorate, has issued clear instructions to accelerate the investigation and deploy strict legal measures. Along with the CMRL probe, the regional chief also directed officials to take uncompromised, stringent action regarding the ongoing organ-trading racket uncovered in Kerala.