Kochi/New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate has arrested a Kerala-based businessman, who had levelled corruption charges against an officer of the agency posted in the state, under the anti-money laundering law, official sources said on Thursday.

Aneesh Babu was taken into custody by the ED at its Kochi office on Thursday in connection with a cashew export linked money laundering case. He is expected to be produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Friday, they said.

The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) office in Ernakulam had in May 2025 booked Sekhar Kumar, an Assistant Director rank officer of the federal probe agency working at its Kochi office, and some others alleging that some private persons approached Babu and "demanded" Rs 2 crore from him in lieu of "settling" a March 2021 registered money laundering case being investigated by the ED against him.

The primary ED case against Babu, his father Babu George and mother Anitha Babu was filed taking cognisance of five FIRs filed by the Kerala Police Crime Branch and Kottarakara Police (Kollam district).

They were charged by the police for "cheating" different persons to the tune of Rs 24.73 crore by promising them to import cashews at low prices from Africa through Vazhavila Cashews, Kottarakara.

Agency sources had earlier said that the allegations against the ED and its officers were a "deliberate" attempt to "tarnish" their image.

The accused ED officer has also told the Kerala High Court that he had a clean service record. PTI NES DV DV

Kerala businessman arrested under PMLA in cashew export money laundering probe after bribery allegations against an agency officer. A Kerala businessman was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a cashew export linked investigation based on multiple FIRs alleging cheating through fraudulent import promises; the arrest precedes production before a special PMLA court. Concurrently, the businessman had accused a probe officer of soliciting Rs 2 crore to settle the March 2021 money laundering case, prompting a state vigilance complaint and creating parallel bribery allegations alongside the substantive money laundering prosecution.