LIFE mission case: Court sends Santosh Eapen to ED custody

Kochi (Kerala) [India], March 22 : Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court at Kochi on Tuesday, sent Santosh Eapen, the managing director of Unitac Builders to ED custody till March 23, in connection with the alleged LIFE Mission scam case.
Earlier on Monday, Santhosh was arrested by ED in connection with the case.
Previously, during interrogation, Santhosh Eapen had revealed that Rs 3.80 crores out of Rs 7.75 crores received from UAE Red Crescent for the LIFE Mission Housing Project in Thrissur's Wadakanchery were distributed as commission to various officials, the agency said.
In his statement to the probe team, he disclosed that he had exchanged Indian money as a dollar with the help of some bank officials and directly handed it over to Khalid Showkri, a former accountant in the Thiruvananthapuram UAE consulate.
He also told the ED officials that he had given the money to the consulate official as directed by the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh, PS Sarith, and Sandeep Nair, the agency claimed.
Earlier on Tuesday, a special PMLA court extended the judicial custody of M Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to the Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan, till April 4, in connection with the same case.
He was arrested by officials of the Enforcement Directorate on February 14.
The case pertains to the state government's LIFE Mission project, which intended to provide homes to the poor who lost their houses in the 2018 floods. The housing project was proposed at Vaddakanchery in the Thrissur district.
The project intended to build houses for 140 families in Vadakkanchery by spending Rs 14.50 crore out of Rs 18.50 crore granted by the Red Crescent via the UAE consulate.