ED examines bank locker of Kerala ex-CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter Veena

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) inspected the HDFC Bank locker of T Veena, daughter of former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, at a branch in Thiruvananthapuram. The examination was part of a money‑laundering probe into alleged financial transactions between Cochin Minerals and Rutile Ltd (CMRL) and the IT firm Exalogic Solutions, which is owned by Veena.

ED officials also reviewed Veena’s bank accounts after she was questioned for more than nine hours at the agency’s Kochi office. The investigation alleges that CMRL paid Rs 2.78 crore to Exalogic without receiving services and that Empower India Capital Investments, linked to CMRL’s managing director, extended loans of Rs 50 lakh to the firm despite defaults. The case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following a complaint by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office and earlier income‑tax searches that uncovered fictitious expenses of roughly Rs 130 crore.

Central security forces were deployed outside the bank during the locker check, and the former chief minister downplayed the development, inviting media to cover any findings.