Kerala ex-excise minister's house raided by anti-graft bureau
- Babu, who had a controversial stint as the state Excise Minister in the previous Oommen Chandy-led UDF government, had resigned after a Thrissur court ordered the Vigilance department to register an FIR against him in the bar bribery scam.
- Five teams of the Vigilance officials, headed by two DySPs, from Vigilance special cell, Ernakulam began the searches at 8 AM
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau today conducted raids at the residences of former Kerala Excise Minister K Babu and his two daughters in connection with a disproportionate assets case against the Congress leader.
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Vigilance officials said raids are also being conducted at the residences of two of his friends--Baburam and Mohanan- at Vyttila and Kumbalam in Ernakulam district.
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Babu, who had a controversial stint as the state Excise Minister in the previous Oommen Chandy-led UDF government, had resigned after a Thrissur court ordered the Vigilance department to register an FIR against him in the bar bribery scam. He was later reinstated in the post.
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The searches are being conducted at Babu's residence in Thrippunithura and his daughters' residences in Palarivattam in Ernakulam district and Thodupuzha in Idukki district, officials said.
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Five teams of the Vigilance officials, headed by two DySPs, from Vigilance special cell, Ernakulam began the searches at 8 AM, they said.
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Officials said the raids were being conducted after an FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by an Thrippunithura-based anti-corruption organisation against the former minister.
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Babu had lost the Thrippunithura assembly seat to M Swaraj of CPI(M) in the elections held in May this year.