`Kerala connection` to raid at Stalin`s house

The surprise raid by the CBI at the residence of MK Stalin, son of DMK chief MK Karunanidhi, on Thursday has a Kerala connection.

Thiruvananthapuram: The surprise raid by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the residence of MK Stalin, son of DMK chief MK Karunanidhi, on Thursday has a Kerala connection in the form of a man supplying luxury vehicles.

Reports indicate that the raid was in connection with the import of cars and payment of customs duties. The man who supplied the vehicles is Alex C Joseph, who hails from Thiruvalla in Kerala. Joseph has been evading the authorities for a decade. He was first nabbed in 2011 by the Enforcement Directorate officials from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Shamshabad, in Hyderabad, and handed over to the Kerala Police. The case against Joseph is that he had imported close to 500 luxury cars using the "transfer of residence" clause available to non-resident Indians, thus evading taxes and duties. Joseph was also found to be in possession of multiple passports. Kerala Police have also registered another case against him. "He is currently on bail, and a petition from him is in the Kerala High Court, where he has sought relaxation in his bail conditions. The investigation in the case of having multiple passports is over. We are awaiting orders from authorities," said a police officer and investigator, who sought anonymity. IANS