Kodakara hawala case transferred to PMLA court for joint trial with ED case

The Additional Sessions Court, Irinjalakuda, has transferred the Kodakara hawala case, being investigated by the Crime Branch, to the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Kaloor for a joint trial with the case already filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).The accused have been directed to appear before the PMLA court on November 19, 2026. In its petition, the ED contended that the trial of the scheduled offence case and the PMLA case should be conducted simultaneously and sought the transfer of the case under Section 44(1)(c) of the PMLA. The State police opposed the move, arguing that transferring the case would amount to an encroachment by the ED on the powers of the State government.Special Public Prosecutor M.J. Santhosh appeared on behalf of the ED. It is learnt that the ED is set to move applications in all courts dealing with cases involving PMLA to the Special PMLA Court.In an objection filed before the Irinjalakuda court on December 5, 2025, Deputy Superintendent of Police V.K. Raju, the investigating officer in the hawala case, asserted that the trial before the sessions court was at an advanced stage, and that any move to transfer the case at the instance of a third agency with no investigative role in the matter would cause serious prejudice to the prosecution. He further opposed the ED’s move, contending that the offences involved in the case and those alleged by the Central agency were “separate and distinct”. The objection petition also argued that Section 44 of the PMLA does not authorise a parallel investigation or interference with the lawful jurisdiction of the State Police.The Kodakara hawala case revolves around an alleged highway robbery at Kodakara, Thrissur, on April 3, 2021, just three days before the Kerala Assembly elections. Police investigations revealed that ₹3.50 crore, allegedly being transported to Ernakulam for use in the election campaign, was looted when a gang staged a fake accident near Kodakara to intercept the vehicle carrying the money. The police arrested 23 persons in connection with the case and recovered ₹1.58 crore, part of the stolen booty. Published - September 22, 2026 09:17 pm IST