Anto Augustine arrested by Excise in Abkari case
Reporter TV managing director arrested on charges of alleged possession of liquor in excess of legally permissible limit
Excise officials have arrested Anto Augustine, the 38-year-old managing director of Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, on charges of alleged possession of liquor exceeding the legally permissible limit. The arrest came after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) recovered 67 litres of liquor from Augustine's ancestral residence in Muttil South Village, Vythiri Taluk, Wayanad, during a search operation on September 16, 2026.
The SIT is investigating alleged financial fraud linked to a failed bid to bring the Argentine national football team to Kochi for an international friendly last year. Augustine faces charges under Sections 55(a), 55(i), and 58 of the Kerala Abkari Act and will be taken to Wayanad for a magistrate's court appearance.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
