New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Bineesh Kodiyeri, the son of Kerala CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, for alleged links to an accused person in drug peddling cases in Bengaluru.

According to news agency PTI, ED sources said that Bineesh was arrested under relevant sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the agency wants to put him through custodial interrogation for "financing a drugs network".

He was taken into custody after being questioned for three hours at the ED's Bengaluru Zonal office on Thursday. He was produced in the Bengaluru sessions court and recorded his arrest. Bineesh was sent to four days' custody, according to reports.

Sources said the central probe agency had thrice questioned Bineesh about his alleged links with an accused, M. Anoop, arrested in a narcotics seizure case sometime ago.

The ED probe stems from a case that the Narcotics Control Bureau is investigating and claimed to have busted a racket that was trafficking ecstasy pills in Karnataka in August.

The NCB had arrested M. Anoop, Anikha D., R. Ravindran and had claimed to seize 145 ecstasy or MDMA pills and over Rs 2.20 lakh cash from a hotel apartment in Bengaluru at that time.

The federal anti-narcotics agency had also said some "prominent musicians and actors" in Karnataka are under its scanner after this operation.

The accused persons are accused of supplying drugs to Kannada film actors and singers.

The ED money laundering case is based on this criminal complaint of the NCB.

Sources had alleged that Bineesh has links with M. Anoop and the two had some purported phone conversations.

Bineesh's role also came under the scanner in connection with his alleged links between a key accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case and a prime accused in the Bengaluru drug seizure case.

Earlier, the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had alleged that Bineesh Kodiyeri has close links with some members of a drug racket busted by the NCB in Bengaluru recently.

Youth League general secretary P.K. Firos had alleged that Bineesh had invested money in a hotel business launched by Anoop in Kammanahalli in 2015 and demanded a comprehensive investigation into it.

Bineesh has maintained that he knew Anoop and his family and the latter had borrowed money from him and some others for setting up the restaurant business in Bengaluru a few years ago.

(With PTI inputs)

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