In the matter of over-excavation and unlawful excavation in Kerala Small Industries Development Corporation’s Telecom City Project, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Cochin has temporarily attached real estate worth Rs. 5.24 crores as proceeds of crime (Kerala SIDCO).
Based on an FIR filed by the Special Investigation Unit-II of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), Thiruvananthapuram, the ED launched an investigation in accordance with the provisions of the PMLA, 2002.
According to an investigation conducted under the PMLA, Kerala SIDCO awarded M/s Som Projects Pvt. Ltd. the land development project for Telecom City in Menamkulam. The company then subcontracted the project illegally for Rs. 40,73,260 to Mohammed Sadique Hussain of M/s KGN Civil Construction and Noohu Khan of M/s Veeyem Group Engineers. The subcontractors (Mohammed Sadique Hussain and Noohu Khan) illegally dug 19,181 m3 of sand from an area (near Parvathy Puthanar) not designated for sand excavation and over-excavated 20,364.7 m3 of sand from the designated region, causing a loss to the Kerala SIDCO of Rs. 3.46 crore.
Hence, the case’s total PoC is Rs. 6.79 crores. Additionally, it was discovered that Saji Basheer, MD of Kerala SIDCO, and S Ajith Kumar, AGM of Kerala SIDCO, received illegal payments from the project’s subcontractors totalling Rs. 1.29 crore and Rs. 6,00,000, respectively, for facilitating illegal excavation from the site and the surrounding area. More research is now being conducted.
