Balaji’s brother not arrested or detained, clarifies ED

NEW DELHI: In an unusual move, ED has refuted rumours that it has arrested R V Balaji, brother of Senthil Balaji, while emphasising that the he along with his wife and mother-in-law have been evading summons to appear for questioning in the money laundering case allegedly involving the Tamil Nadu minister.
“R V Ashok Kumar has neither been detained nor arrested,” the ED said even as he has refused to join the investigation despite being summoned four times.Kumar’s wife Nirmala and his mother-in-law P Lakshmi have also been summoned four times but they too have not complied with the orders to submit for questioning in a money laundering case involving Balaji.
The statement came after rumours about Kumar having been picked up by the money laundering agency furiously did the rounds, and struck many as important because of the assertions made against him and hisrelatives.
“Evidence indicates that all three individuals (Asok Kumar, his wife and mother-in-law) have played pivotal roles in layering and integrating the proceeds of crimes,” ED said. Kumar has been summoned four times between June 16 and July 15 as part of the ongoing probe. “He has, however, never joined the investigation and has refused to appear in response to the summons citing frivolous inconsequential excuses,” the agency said.
Last week, the ED had conducted searches on premises linked to Balaji, his brother Ashok Kumar and other family members and attached a 2.4 acre land worth Rs 30 crore at Salem Bypass Road, Andankovil, Karur in Tamil Nadu terming it as ‘proceeds of crime’. Balaji, who was arrested on July 14 in a cash-for-job scam, is currently in judicial custody. The agency had alleged that its money trail revealed huge cash transactions were made by Balaji’s brother in the land deal.