The Kerala government, on Friday, decided to re-investigate the 2021 Kodakara hawala case, putting the BJP’s state unit in a difficult situation ahead of the by-elections in the state.

The decision came after a meeting between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state police chief.

The move follows the proposal of the CPI-M state secretariat to re-investigate the case in the light of the revelations of Tirur Satheesh, former office secretary of BJP in Thrissur. The CPI-M state secretariat sought a reinvestigation in the Kodakara hawala case following the revelation of Tirur Satheesh, former office secretary of BJP in Thrissur related to the case.

The CPI-M state secretariat considered the disclosure of Thirur Satheesh, the former office secretary of BJP in Thrissur, as serious and has urged the government to seek legal avenues for re-investigation. Since the Thrissur Rang DIG-led Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed to probe the case, already submitted the charge sheet to the court, further investigation can only be conducted with the court’s permission.

Tirur Satheesh’s revelation that the seizure made in the Kodakara heist was of hawala money and meant for the BJP kicked up a political storm ahead of the by-polls in Kerala. It is learnt that the government will inform the court of the new developments in the case and seek permission for further probe into the case

Meanwhile, the CPI-M decided to make it the issue of a political debate in the by-elections. Party’s state secretary MV Govindan said a re-investigation is needed in the Kodakara hawala case.

Political observers believe the BJP is on the defensive in the wake of the new revelations in the case. Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan said a deal between BJP and the CPI-M, as claimed by the Congress much earlier, has been proved right through the revelations made by former BJP office secretary Tirur Satheesh in connection with the Kodakara money heist case.

Tirur Satheesh, former BJP office secretary in Thrissur, the other day, alleged that he met Dharmarajan at the BJP district office earlier and had booked hotel rooms for him and his associates to stay in Thrissur as directed by the BJP treasurer. They left the hotel on April 3 morning. He claimed that Dharmarajan brought the hawala money to the BJP district office on April 2, while the robbery happened when the remaining funds were being transported to Alappuzha. The former office secretary of the BJP alleged that Dharmarajan brought the hawala money to the BJP district office and the robbery happened when the rest of the money was being carried to Alappuzha.

The Kodakara heist occurred on April 3, 2021, when a car carrying hawala money was intercepted by assailants in another vehicle on NH 544 in Kodakara, the Thrissur district. They stole the money from the car. Initially, the police received a complaint about a robbery of Rs 25 lakh, but further investigation revealed that Rs 3.5 crore in hawala funds had actually been taken. The money was being transported by a person named Dharmarajan, who was alleged to be an RSS worker.

In this connection, BJP Thrissur district president K K Aneeshkumar refuted the fresh allegations. “Satheesh was expelled from the party for financial irregularities. CPI-M has bribed him and turned him against BJP ahead of the by-elections. Whenever an election happens in Kerala, the Kodakara hawala case is dug out to portray the BJP in a bad light,” he said.

It has been reported that the SIT that probed the case has demanded the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to probe into the hawala money seizure involved in the case. However, the investigation didn’t proceed further.