ED arrests CC Thampi of Holiday Group in PMLA case linked to property deals

NRI businessman C C Thampi, who is being investigated for Rs 1,000-core foreign exchange violations and links with Robert Vadra and controversial arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials said on Monday.

Thampi, who was issued show-cause notices over Rs 1,000-crore fraud by the ED in 2017, was facing a probe involving the purchase of a property in Kerala that allegedly violated the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Officials said the show-cause notices were issued to him earlier and his three companies -- Holiday City Centre Pvt Ltd, Holiday Properties Pvt Ltd and Holiday Bekal Resorts Pvt Ltd -- were under the ED scanner.

ED had earlier claimed that Thampi had emerged as a link in a case involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Vadra and was questioned for his alleged links with Vadra and controversial arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari.

He was questioned by the ED in a money laundering case related to the purchase of a London-based property -- located at 12, Bryanston Square -- worth 1.9 million pounds allegedly on behalf of Vadra.

The agency had claimed that Thampi has been allegedly involved in hawala dealings and land purchase in 2017. He is claimed to have met Vadra through an aide of Sonia Gandhi while Vadra had reportedly told the ED that he met him on board an Emirates flight some years ago.

Agency sources had said the businessman was also under the scanner for his reported dealings with some politicians and bureaucrats.