KOCHI: The Kochi city police are yet to take a call on booking the Enforcement Directorate officials who allegedly assaulted a CPM councillor while questioning him in connection with the money laundering in the Karuvannur Service Cooperative Bank loan scam.
The Ernakulam Central Police, which received a complaint from P R Aravindakshan, a councillor in Wadakkanchery municipality, has sought legal advice on whether to register an FIR on the allegation. The ED has questioned Aravindakshan multiple times on the suspicion that he is a close aide of prime accused Satheeshkumar who was into money lending in Thrissur. Aravindakshan filed a complaint on Wednesday, alleging that three ED officials tortured him mentally and physically during the interrogation.
The police conducted a preliminary inquiry at the ED office in Kochi after getting the complaint. “We are awaiting legal advice on registering an FIR. The ED officials have denied the allegation.
They said Aravindakshan was interrogated in a room with CCTV cameras. "Based on our superior’s directives, we will decide on the further steps,” said a police officer.
Earlier, when the crime branch had registered two cases against ED officials for attempting to include Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the 2020 Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case, the Kerala High Court had quashed the FIRs.