The investigation into alleged financial irregularities surrounding a failed initiative to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina football team to Kerala has taken a new turn after police searched the Reporter Broadcasting Company's office and premises linked to its management. Kerala DGP Ravada Chandrasekhar said documents and digital information were seized during the searches and that the investigation is still at a preliminary stage.

Meanwhile, Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine was arrested by the Excise Department in a separate case involving liquor allegedly stored above the permissible limit.

DGP says raid followed legal procedure

DGP Ravada Chandrasekhar said the inspection at the Reporter Broadcasting Company office was conducted in accordance with legal procedures. He said instructions had been given to the investigation team to ensure that the search was carried out properly.

According to the DGP, documents and digital information were seized during the operation. He said investigators would examine the material before deciding on further action.

The police investigation is currently at a preliminary stage, and the seized material is expected to be examined as part of the process. The DGP said the team would consider evidence from all relevant aspects of the case.

Investigation linked to proposed Messi event

The Special Investigation Team conducted searches at the Reporter Broadcasting Company's office in Kochi and at properties linked to Anto Augustine and his brothers in Kochi and Wayanad.

The searches form part of an investigation into alleged financial irregularities surrounding an unsuccessful initiative to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team to Kerala. The case followed a preliminary inquiry and the subsequent formation of an SIT. Police have said the searches were carried out after obtaining court warrants.

The investigation concerns the arrangements surrounding the proposed football event and allegations of financial irregularities. The allegations remain under investigation and have not been established as facts against the accused.

What investigators seized

During the searches, investigators recovered documents and digital records, according to police statements and reports. Reports said digital material, including a pen drive, was recovered during the search of the Augustine family's ancestral house in Wayanad.

The searches also reportedly covered records connected with the Kaloor stadium and other material relevant to the investigation.

The DGP said the seized documents and digital data would now be analysed. Further action will depend on what investigators establish from the material collected during the searches.

Anto Augustine arrested in separate liquor case

In the early hours of Thursday, September 17, the Excise Department arrested Anto Augustine from the Reporter TV office in Kalamassery in connection with a separate case involving possession of liquor beyond the permissible limit.

The arrest followed the discovery of liquor during the search of his ancestral house at Vazhavatta in Wayanad. Kerala reports said 43 litres of foreign-made liquor and additional wine were seized.

The Excise Department booked Augustine under Sections 55(A), 55(I) and 58 of the Kerala Abkari Act, according to reports. He was taken for a medical examination and was expected to be produced before a court in Wayanad.

The arrest was made by the Excise Department rather than the SIT investigating the alleged financial irregularities connected with the proposed Messi event.

Augustine denies knowledge of liquor

Augustine has denied consuming or using liquor and said he was in Kochi when the search was conducted at the Wayanad property.

Speaking to reporters after his detention, he said documents connected with the Messi investigation had already been handed over and indicated that his arrest was related to the separate Excise case.

The allegations in the liquor case will be subject to the legal process, while the separate financial investigation remains ongoing.

Questions over the FIR and arrest

Reports said Augustine asked the Excise officials to show him a physical copy of the FIR rather than a digital version before the arrest was formally recorded. An Excise official subsequently brought the hard copy to the office.

The arrest was recorded in the early hours of Thursday after the Excise team reached the Reporter TV office. Different reports have given slightly different timings for the arrival of the team and formal recording of the arrest.

Kerala's government has defended the police action, saying the searches were conducted under court-issued warrants and that the investigation would be allowed to proceed.

The searches have also generated a wider political and media debate, particularly over press freedom because one of the locations searched was the office of a news organisation. The police, however, have maintained that the action relates to an ongoing criminal investigation and was carried out under judicial authorisation.