ED attaches properties worth Rs 5.24 cr in Kerala Telecom City scam

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday that it has attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 5.24 Crore as proceeds of crime in a case of over-excavation and illegal excavation in the Telecom City project of Kerala Small Industries Development Corporation (SIDCO).

The ED had initiated an investigation under the provisions of PMLA based on an FIR registered by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), Special Investigation Unit-II, Thiruvananthapuram.

"The investigation revealed that Som Projects Pvt. Ltd. was awarded the land development project for Telecom City in Menamkulam by the Kerala SIDCO and the company sub-contracted the project illegitimately to Mohammed Sadique Hussain of KGN Civil Construction and Noohu Khan of Veeyem Group Engineers for Rs 40,73,260. The sub-contractors (Mohammed Sadique Hussain and Noohu Khan) over-excavated 20,364.7 m3 sand from the allocated area and excavated illegitimately 19,181 m3 sand from the area (near Parvathy Puthanar), which was not allocated for sand excavation, and caused losses to the tune of Rs 3.46 crore to the Kerala SIDCO," an ED official said.

The official said that the total proceeds of crime identified in the case is Rs 6.79 crore. It was also found that Saji Basheer, MD of Kerala SIDCO, and S. Ajith Kumar, AGM of Kerala SIDCO, received illegal gratification to the tune of Rs 1.29 crore and Rs 6 lakh, respectively, from the sub-contractors of the project for facilitating the illegitimate excavation from the site and nearby areas.