New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches at the chit fund company premises of Kerala-based businessman Gokulam Gopalan, one of the producers of the movie "L2: Empuraan", as part of an alleged Rs 1,000 crore foreign exchange violation case, official sources said.

The searches are being undertaken at five premises in various states, including in Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Kochi (Kerala), under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), the sources said.

The action is being undertaken against Gopalan and his company Sree Gopalan chit and Finance Co. Ltd. for alleged FEMA violations of Rs 1,000 crore with certain NRIs and some related "unauthorised" transactions, the sources.

The agency is also understood to be analysing some "cheating" cases against the company for possible investigation under the anti-money laundering law.

"L2: Empuraan", the second part of the "Lucifer" movie, a trilogy planned by the Prithviraj-Mohanlal team, has become a topic of hot debate over its critique of right-wing politics and the covert mention of the Gujarat riots.

Mohanlal recently expressed regret over the raging row and assured that the controversial portions would be removed from the movie. PTI NES DV DV

Foreign exchange violation investigation targets chit fund producer, prompting multi-state searches and potential anti-money laundering probe. Enforcement Directorate conducted coordinated searches at five premises under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, targeting Sree Gopalan Chit and Finance Co. Ltd. and promoter Gokulam Gopalan for alleged FEMA violations involving certain NRIs and unauthorised transactions, while parallel inquiries assess cheating allegations for potential escalation to an anti-money laundering probe.