LIFE Mission Scam: ED Arrests Santosh Eapen, MD of Unitac Builders

Thiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Santhosh Eapen, Managing Director of Unitac Builders in connection with the LIFE Mission scam. The LIFE Mission project was conceived to provide houses to the poor who lost their shelter in the 2018 floods.

Unitac Builders was contracted for the construction of the houses at Wadakkancherry in the Thrissur district.  Santhosh Eapen was summoned to the ED office at Kochi for interrogation and arrested.

The 20 crore rupee project was funded by UAE’s Red Crescent, while the land for it was provided by the Kerala government.

According to the  ED,  over four crore rupees were reportedly paid as kickbacks by Unitac Builders to certain officials of the UAE Consulate at Thiruvananthapuram and to the former Principal Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office  M Shivashankar,  for bagging the contract.

The ED has already arrested M Shivashankar in connection with the case.

Santhosh Eapen is the second person to be arrested in the case and will be produced before a court today.