ED Arrests Kerala Cashew Trader Aneesh Babu in Money-Laundering Case

Overview

• Enforcement Directorate officials took Aneesh Babu into custody in a cashew export-linked probe and produced him before the special PMLA court, which ordered judicial custody until January 19.
• The ED says its case draws on five Kerala police FIRs alleging cheating and forgery tied to promises of low-cost cashew imports through Vazhavila Cashews, involving about Rs 24.7 crore.
• Investigators cite multiple ignored summons since 2021 and say courts from the Sessions level to the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail, noting the need for custodial interrogation.
• An ED statement says Babu gave evasive replies on January 14 and failed to explain the purported routing and parking of proceeds of crime, with concerns over possible evidence tampering and witness influence.
• Babu has alleged an ED officer sought a Rs 2 crore bribe, a claim that led the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to book the officer in May 2025, while agency sources have called the allegation an attempt to tarnish the ED; reports differ on whether the arrest occurred at a Kochi ED office or an Ernakulam hotel.