Argentina footballer Lionel Messi
Thrikkakara assistant commissioner of police Bijoy Chandran C K, who led the search on the channel premises, said the case was registered following a preliminary inquiry and the subsequent constitution of the SIT. He said searches were carried out after obtaining warrants from the court and in accordance with the court order. Managing director Anto Augustine said the company was fully cooperating with the probe but would not answer questions related to news production.
Reporter TV, however, condemned the police action, alleging that the intervention disrupted the channel’s operations and that phones belonging to journalists were confiscated during the search. The searches come a day after an FIR was registered at the Kalamassery police station. Kochi : A Kerala Police special investigation team (SIT) on Wednesday simultaneously raided the headquarters of Reporter Broadcasting Company, which also houses Malayalam news channel Reporter TV in Kochi, as part of a probe into alleged financial irregularities linked to the proposed visit of footballer Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team to Kerala.