Kochi, September 17 (Daily Kiran) : Anto Augustine, the managing director of Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, has been formally arrested by the excise department for possessing alcohol beyond the legal limit. This arrest coincides with an intensified police investigation into alleged financial irregularities related to Lionel Messi’s visit to Kerala with the Argentina football team.
A team led by Assistant Commissioner Baiju raided the Reporter TV office in Kalamassery early Thursday morning, taking Augustine into custody. After undergoing a medical examination, he is being transported to Wayanad, a journey expected to take several hours. Augustine will be presented before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Sultan Bathery.
The arrest follows a significant seizure of alcohol during a search conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) at Augustine’s ancestral home in Vazhavatta, Wayanad. Authorities confiscated 43 liters of foreign liquor, seven liters of foreign wine, and 13 liters of domestic wine, along with unauthorized bottles of alcohol intended for sale in India. Augustine insisted on seeing a hard copy of the FIR before his arrest, although officials provided only a digital version.
Inspector Manoj Kumar from the Perumbavoor excise circle later arrived with a physical copy of the FIR, which led to the formal recording of the arrest.
This incident unfolded shortly after the SIT conducted nearly 20 hours of searches at Reporter Broadcasting Company’s offices in Kochi and Wayanad, seizing documents, memory cards, and records related to Kalu Stadium, along with $6,300 in foreign currency. These searches were executed under a court warrant.
Ramesh Chennithala, the state’s Home Minister, who recently returned from the U.S., stated that the SIT was formed based on a report submitted by the sports secretary and led by ADGP P. Vijayan to investigate the Messi case. He mentioned that the report was handed to him by Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan.
Speaking to reporters at Cochin Airport, Chennithala affirmed, “The SIT is operating according to the law. It has acted in accordance with prevailing laws, and the Home Minister does not intervene.” He assured that any actions found to be contrary to the law would be thoroughly investigated.
He added, “They had a search warrant and acted accordingly. Everyone is aware of what has transpired over the past decade. Why didn’t you notice it then? Many journalists were under pressure. We are making it clear that if anything wrong has occurred, it will be investigated.”
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