Excise officials from Wayanad took into custody Anto Augustine, 38, managing director of Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, on Thursday (September 17, 2026) morning on charges of alleged possession of liquor in excess of the legally permissible limit.

He was taken into custody around 5 a.m. from the channel’s office at Kalamassery in Ernakulam. The move followed the reported recovery of 67 litres of liquor — beyond the permissible limit for possession — from his ancestral residence in Muttil South Village, Vythiri Taluk, Wayanad, on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) during a search operation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT is probing the alleged financial fraud linked to the failed bid to bring the Argentine national team and Lionel Messi to Kochi for an international friendly last year.

Sharfudhin T., Excise Circle Inspector, Excise Circle Office, Kalpetta, filed an occurrence report in connection with the case registered under the Abkari Act before the Judicial First Class Magistrate’s Court, Sulthan Bathery, Wayanad, early on Thursday. The accused has been booked under Sections 55(a), 55(i), and 58 of the Kerala Abkari Act.

An Excise team led by Assistant Commissioner came to the Reporter TV office to take Mr. Augustine into custody. After the medical examination, Augustine will be taken to Wayanad and produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad, said excise sources.

Reportedly, Mr. Augustine initially insisted demanding that he be shown the occurrence report. Though the Excise team showed him a digital copy, he insisted on a hard copy following which the Perumbavoor Excise Circle Inspector Manoj Kumar came to the office with a copy.

The SIT had conducted day-long search operations at five locations in Ernakulam and Wayanad districts on Wednesday.

According to SIT sources, digital gadgets, documents, foreign currencies, and 67 litres of liquor were seized during the searches. The operations were carried out based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Kalamassery police after a preliminary inquiry found prima facie grounds for a cognisable offence. Mr. Augustine was the first accused in the as authorised signatory of the Reporter Broadcasting Private Limited and the company the second accused.

According to the FIR, the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy dating back to before December 20, 2024, when “illegal and fake” details were inserted into the agreement signed with the Argentina Football Association, with the intent of cheating the State government and the public for profiteering. The FIR further alleged that the accused conspired to gain custody of the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor by securing exemption from the ₹5 crore security deposit on September 26, 2025.