The enforcement department has arrested the CPM leader in the Co-operative bank corruption case in Kerala. Ravindakshan, 57, a resident of Parlikat in Vadakancheri, Kerala, is a member of the CPM Athani local committee. Aravindakshan is also a close aide of former minister and CPM mla AC Moideen. The Enforcement Directorate, which is probing the money laundering aspect of the Karuvanoor service Cooperative bank loan scam, on tuesday took CPM president and Vadakancheri Municipal health Standing Committee Chairman Aravindakshan into custody. Aravindakshan was arrested from thrissur and brought to the enforcement office in Kochi. Aravindakshan, 57, a resident of Parlikat in Vadakancheri, is a CPM Athani local committee member. Aravindakshan is also a close aide of former minister and CPM mla AC Moideen.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, Arvindkshan was linked to the main culprit, Satish Kumar, a moneylender who took loans from Karvanur bank using benami borrowers. Arvindakshan was the middleman to get the documents of the mortgage borrowers from Karunur bank to get loans from Satish Kumar. Earlier in a report filed in the PMLA special court in Kochi, the ED had said that Aravindakshan and another CPM Vadakancheri consultant Madhu had helped Satish Kumar in the loan business of around Rs 500 crore.

Karwanur service Cooperative bank manager Biju MK also gave a statement to the enforcement department against Aravindakshan. Biju MK has alleged that Arvindakshan and Madhu threatened him and his family to deposit Rs 50 lakh from the cash loan given to Satish Kumar as a permanent deposit in their name. ED suspects Aravindakshan to be the link between Satish Kumar and AC Moideen. ED questioned Aravindakshan several times as part of the investigation. Aravindakshan filed a complaint at the ernakulam Central police station last week alleging torture by ED officials during interrogation. The police have conducted a preliminary investigation on the complaint but have not yet registered a case.