Hacker Sriki's brother can't travel abroad, ED informs HC

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Tuesday informed the high court that it is not in a position to allow alleged hacker Srikrishna alias Sriki’s brother Sudarshan Ramesh to leave the country.

The petitioner Sudarshan Ramesh, who is a mechanical engineer employed at Brunel and based out of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, has prayed for the quashing of the ED endorsement of January 13, 2022, restraining him from travelling.

Sriki is facing several cases of hacking and siphoning off money. His brother Sudarshan claimed that he had appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on three days - December 29 and 30, 2021 and January 1, 2022. He said no summons was issued against him after his last visit to the ED office on January 1, 2022.

In the previous hearing, the ED had told the court it would make all efforts to complete the investigation and inform the court by May 10 whether the petitioner could be allowed to travel to the Netherlands.

Appearing for the ED, special public prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar informed the court that the agency is not in a position to withdraw the LOC issued against the petitioner.

“The petitioner was summoned to appear before the ED for an enquiry on May 5, 2022. He appeared but was evasive in his replies regarding the transaction of 50,000 Great Britain Pounds through his account. Hence, a detailed probe is required and ED has to get details from foreign banks regarding these transactions and the investigation is still pending. Hence, he cannot be allowed to travel abroad,” Prasanna Kumar told the court.

Considering the submission, the vacation bench, presided over by Justice Sunil Dutt Yadav, adjourned the next hearing to May 24.

Sudarshan was restrained from travelling as he was about to board the flight to the Netherlands on January 13, 2022. Thereafter, an endorsement was affixed on his passport stating 'cancelled'.

Sudarshan had claimed that he had no role in the alleged scam, involving his brother as he was not in India at that time.

He claimed that in order to retain the Dutch Residence Permit, he should not be staying outside the Netherlands for a period of more than six months or in the alternative should not be staying outside the Netherlands for a period of more than four months every year for a total period of three years in a row.