Kochi: Ahead of the filing of the second charge-sheet in the controversial Karuvannur Cooperative Bank fraud case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has replaced the investigating officer. Kochi Regional Deputy Director P Radhakrishnan has been removed from the probe and Deputy Director Rajesh Kumar, who is being transferred from Chennai, will take over the investigation.

The Delhi headquarters had instructed the ED to submit the second chargesheet within this month. As part of the proceedings, efforts are underway to record the statement of CPM leader and MP K Radhakrishnan. The ED had previously questioned all CPM leaders who served as Thrissur district secretaries during the period when the Karuvannur fraud took place. K Radhakrishnan was the only one yet to be interrogated.

The Kochi ED office has four investigation units. P Radhakrishnan has been transferred from Unit Two, which handles high-profile cases, to Unit One, which deals with relatively less important cases.

Apart from the Karuvannur case, Unit Two is investigating the HighRich scam, the case involving the Paliyekkara toll company, a fraud involving a Supplyco official who embezzled crores, and the half-price scheme fraud. The initial charge sheets have already been filed in the HighRich and Paliyekkara cases. In the Supplyco case, assets worth Rs 8 crore have been attached, while the half-price scam investigation is still in its early stages.

Reports suggest that 95 percent of the procedures for filing the second charge-sheet in the Karuvannur case have been completed. However, with a new investigating officer taking over, additional time will be required to review the case, delaying the filing of the chargesheet.