KOCHI: A day after tracing a hawala trail in the CMRL-Exalogic case, the Enforcement Directorate has found that the SIM card used by Veena T, daughter of former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, for internet-based calls was obtained in the name of a DYFI leader in Kozhikode.
The ED traced the person through a digital device seized from Veena that contained a photograph of a SIM card registered in another person’s name and used in a Wi-Fi router, sources said. The agency has sought legal opinion on invoking the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), as hawala transactions are suspected in the case.
The ED is likely to question Veena again and intensify its probe into the SIM card, the sources said. It will also seek the assistance of cyber experts from a national laboratory as part of the investigation.
Sources said that with records showing that Rs 85 lakh was transferred to Dubai, the ED is examining the purpose of the remittance and the route through which the money was transferred. If a violation of FEMA provisions is established, Veena could face further legal action, they added.
Following raids at various locations in Kozhikode, the ED had said it found evidence of money transfers through hawala channels. The seizures indicate that Veena was handling amounts beyond her known sources of income, with her handwritten accounts recording sums over and above the payments received from CMRL. The agency collected evidence from all those named in the accounts, as well as from the person who provided the SIM card. The ED said the investigation is progressing.
Agency to intensify probe
According to sources, the ED is likely to question Veena again and intensify its probe into the SIM card. It has sought legal opinion on invoking the Foreign Exchange Management Act as hawala transactions are suspected in the case
