ED Raids Former Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s House in Exalogic-CMRL Money Laundering Case

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On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided multiple locations in Kerala, which included the house of former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The searches were carried out at many locations across the state. Apart from the former CM’s residence, raids were also conducted at the house of his son-in-law and former Tourism Minister P. A. Mohamed Riyas, and several officials linked to Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited (CMRL). The raids were conducted in connection with the alleged CMRL-Exalogic money laundering case.

The raids were conducted at around 10-12 locations across Kerala under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The searches took place at the rented residence of Pinarayi Vijayan at Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram, the residence of his son-in-law Riyas in Kozhikode, and properties linked to senior CMRL officials and promoters.

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The officers of the ED were accompanied by armed personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), who arrived at the locations early in the morning. After reaching the spots, they cordoned off the locations during the search operations. The raids happened shortly after the Kerala High Court gave permission to the agency to continue its probe.

The ED action came hours after the Kerala High Court dismissed a petition filed by CMRL on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. The application sought to quash the ED proceedings and summons issued by the agency. The High Court allowed the central agency to continue its probe into the case.

The investigation is related to the daughter of Pinarayi Vijayan and CMRL. The controversy is that Exalogic Solutions, an IT firm owned by Vijayan’s daughter T. Veena, received around Rs 1.72 crore from CMRL. This happened between 2017 and 2021 for IT services which were allegedly never provided. The ED suspects that the payments may have been used to settle liabilities of the company.

The agency had registered a money laundering case in 2024 after examining financial transactions linked to Exalogic and related entities. The ED has maintained before the High Court that its probe is independent of an earlier investigation conducted by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).

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The controversy traces back to a 2023 finding by the Interim Board for Settlement (IBS) under the Central Board of Taxes. The IBS reportedly raised concerns over payments made by CMRL to various political figures and entities, including Exalogic Solutions.

Earlier, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) had also investigated the matter and questioned Veena in New Delhi in 2025. However, Vijayan and Veena have denied all allegations and said the business dealings were legal and transparent.

Pinarayi Vijayan and Veena have repeatedly denied wrongdoing and maintained that the transactions between Exalogic and CMRL were legal and transparent. They have stated that the payments were made through proper banking channels and that the firm had paid taxes and complied with all regulatory requirements.

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