The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is questioning industrialist and film producer of the controversial movie Empuraan, Gokulam Gopalan at his residence in Vadakara, Kerala, regarding a significant investment he made recently. Simultaneously, ED officials are conducting searches at Gopalan’s financial institutions in Kozhikode and Chennai’s Kodambakkam area.
The probe has sparked suspicions about the funding of Empuraan, a highly anticipated Malayalam film. Initially, Empuraan was backed by Lyca Productions, a company founded in 2014 by British citizen and Sri Lankan-born Subaskaran Allirajah. Allegations have linked Lyca Productions to the banned Sri Lankan Tamil militant group, LTTE and Jihadi organisations abroad. However, the company withdrew from Empuraan, and Gokulam Gopalan later took over its production. Authorities are now investigating whether the film’s funding involved questionable financial dealings.
Gokulam Gopalan’s financial ties with Lyca Productions and Subaskaran Allirajah are under scrutiny. Reports suggest that Lyca backed out after a financial settlement with Gokulam. Additionally, ED officials are examining records from Gokulam Chit Fund, a financial firm owned by Gopalan. Both Gokulam Chit Fund and Lyca Productions have their GST registrations in Tamil Nadu, with numbers 33……………1Z1 and 33…………….1ZN, respectively. As the investigation progresses, authorities are expected to release further details regarding the financial transactions under examination.
Earlier, in the day, searches were carried out at Gokulam Group’s establishments in Chennai, Kozhikode, and Kochi as part of an ongoing investigation. A team led by ED Deputy Director Rajesh Nair executed the operation, with officials from the Kochi unit also participating.
One of the key locations under scrutiny was a chit fund establishment in Kodambakkam, Chennai, which reportedly falls under the financial network of Gokulam Gopalan. The ED’s investigation is believed to be linked to alleged irregularities in financial transactions related to chit fund operations.
