Ghosts of 2021 highway heist awaken in Kerala as BJP worker claims Rs 3.5 crore was meant for party

The BJP denied the allegations and accused the state’s ruling CPI(M) of being down the claims made by the ex-BJP man, Thiroor Satheesh.

In the aboriginal hours of April 3, astir Rs 3.5 crore was robbed from a car connected the Kodakara agelong of the National Highway betwixt Thrissur and Ernakulam districts. The CPI(M) astatine the clip said the looting was a “drama” allegedly “enacted” by section BJP leaders to “share unused predetermination funds”.

In July 2021, the authorities constabulary submitted a chargesheet against 22 persons, recommending a probe by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department into the root of the money.

Thiroor Satheesh’s claims, which helium made connected TV channels conscionable days earlier bypolls are acceptable to beryllium held successful Kerala connected November 13, has brought the contented backmost into the limelight.

The erstwhile BJP serviceman staffer told the media that the wealth had allegedly been brought to the bureau successful bags nether the guise of predetermination run material. BJP’s Thrissur territory president K K Aneesh Kumar rejected the claims, and said the CPI(M) was down Satheesh, who the BJP had “removed from work for fiscal anomalies”.

BJP authorities vice-president Sobha Surendran said Satheesh was successful a “debt trap” and that helium was being paid by CPI(M).

“Kerala Police, nether (Chief Minister) Pinarayi Vijayan, had probed the lawsuit for respective months,” she pointed out.

The constabulary chargesheet said that Kozhikode-based RSS idiosyncratic A K Dharmarajan had brought the currency from Karnataka, allegedly astatine the behest of BJP caput (organisation) Ganeshan and BJP authorities bureau caput G Gireeshan. The authorities constabulary did not probe the root of the money, and alternatively handed it implicit to ED and I-T.

Congress’s Satheesan said the lawsuit reflects “a communal knowing betwixt CPI(M) and BJP to hide it”.

Kerala Law Minister P Rajeev said the authorities constabulary had completed the probe and reported the substance to the ED and IT. “But the cardinal bureau is not acting upon the authorities constabulary report,” helium said.