Thiruvananthapuram: Bineesh Kodiyeri, son of CPI(M) Kerala State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who was issued summons for early Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate, was questioned for almost 11 hours in connection to the Kerala gold smuggling case at the agency's Kochi office.
According to sources, Bineesh was questioned about his businesses and purported calls to an accused in the Bengaluru drug trafficking case, Mohammed Anoop.
The Enforcement Directorate suspects that the accused in the Bengaluru drugs case have links to the gold smuggling case in Kerala after a part of the narcotics (marijuana) seized was traced to Kerala.
The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday, while seeking extension of remand of the accused in the case of gold smuggling through diplomatic channel in Kerala, told the court, "Further Investigation revealed that the accused in the Bangalore drug trafficking case registered by the Narcotics Control Bureau are suspected to have assisted the accused in the gold smuggling case."
"NCB Bangalore has been requested to share details of the case (with the Enforcement Directorate). One of the high profile persons alleged to be connected to the case is being interrogated," Wednesday's submission read.
Bineesh had earlier told the media that he knew Anoop, one of the accused in the Bengaluru drug case, from years ago but did not know about his alleged drug trafficking connections.
The gold smuggling case in Kerala involves 30kgs of gold smuggled from UAE to Thiruvananthapuram through diplomatic channels. A former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister had been suspended from the services over his alleged links to the accused.