Police on Wednesday conducted searches at five locations in Kerala as part of the Special Investigation Team’s probe into alleged financial misappropriation and tax evasion linked to a failed attempt to bring the Argentina national football team and its former captain Lionel Messi to Kochi for an international friendly match. The searches included the head office of the Reporting Broadcasting Corporation at Kalamassery in Ernakulam district, where Malayalam news channel Reporter TV operates. The investigation relates to events connected with the proposed visit during the tenure of the previous Left Democratic Front government.

Apart from the corporation’s head office, police teams searched the residence of RBC managing director Anto Augustine. The houses of his brothers and co-owners, Roji Augustine and Josekutty Augustine, were also covered in the operation. The residence of Shah Feena Mehar Ali, the organisation’s administrative head, was another location searched by the investigating team as part of the ongoing inquiry.

The searches were carried out under the direction of the SIT, which is examining alleged irregularities surrounding the proposed football event and the financial transactions associated with it. The plan to bring the Argentina team and Messi to Kochi had generated considerable public interest, but the proposed international friendly did not materialise. Investigators are now looking into whether funds connected with the event were misused or whether financial and tax-related violations took place.

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Officials have not immediately disclosed the details of the documents, electronic devices or other materials being examined or seized during the searches. It was also not clear whether the searches had resulted in any arrests, questioning or formal charges against the individuals whose premises were covered. The operation is understood to be part of the evidence-gathering stage of the investigation, with the SIT expected to examine financial records and other relevant material.

The case has drawn attention because the proposed Messi visit had been discussed widely in Kerala and was linked to efforts to organise a major football spectacle in Kochi. The Argentina team’s proposed appearance was expected to attract large crowds and significant commercial activity, but the event eventually failed to take place. The police investigation is focused on the alleged financial dealings surrounding the arrangements rather than the sporting event itself.

Further details are expected to emerge as the SIT examines the records collected from the five locations and questions those associated with the organising and financial arrangements. The searches do not by themselves establish wrongdoing, and the allegations remain subject to investigation. Authorities are likely to determine the next course of action after analysing the materials gathered during Wednesday’s operations.

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