Arrest and Custody of Reporter TV Managing Director Anto Augustine in an Abkari-Act Case

On Thursday, September 17, 2026, Excise officials from Wayanad took Anto Augustine, 38, managing director of Malayalam news channel Reporter TV, into custody at the channel’s Kalamassery office in Ernakulam. The arrest followed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) search that recovered 67 litres of liquor from Augustine’s ancestral residence in Muttil South Village, Vythiri Taluk, Wayanad, on September 16. He was produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Sultan Bathery, which on September 19 granted the Excise Department 24 hours of custody, despite a request for four days. Augustine was remanded in judicial custody until September 30 and transferred to the Wayanad district jail in Mananthavady.

The HinduThe HinduLiquor seizure case: Kerala HC declines to hear Anto Augustine’s interim bail plea New Indian ExpressThe HinduAnto Augustine’s ‘house not mine’ claim fails; Excise to seek custody Anto Augustine remanded in Excise custody for 24 hours in Abkari case Bar & BenchBar & Bench

The seizure is linked to a Kerala Police SIT probe into alleged financial irregularities surrounding a failed attempt to bring the Argentine national football team and Lionel Messi to Kochi for an international friendly. Reporter Broadcasting Company, the commercial sponsor, is alleged to have inserted “illegal and fake” details into an agreement with the Argentina Football Association, according to the FIR, and to have sought exemption from a INR5 crore security deposit for the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium on September 26, 2025.

The Hindu

• Liquor seized: approximately 67 litres of foreign-made, Indian-made foreign, and suspected spurious liquor.

The Hindu

• Legal provisions: Sections 55(a), 55(i) and 58 of the Kerala Abkari Act (non-bailable offenses).

Bar & Bench

• Custody timeline: arrested ? 5 a.m. on September 17; 24 hours of Excise custody granted on September 19; judicial custody until September 30.

Anto Augustine remanded in Excise custody for 24 hours in Abkari case

• Prosecution: argued that early bail could enable witness intimidation and that interrogation was needed to trace the liquor’s source. It presented a Muttil panchayat document confirming ownership of the house, countering Augustine’s claim.

Liquor seizure case: Kerala HC declines to hear Anto Augustine’s interim bail plea

• Defense: maintained the house was not Augustine’s and that the arrest criteria were not met, noting his presence in Ernakulam during the raid and calling the four-day custody request excessive.

Anto Augustine remanded in Excise custody for 24 hours in Abkari case

• Excise Department: said the seized alcohol included foreign-made, Indian-made foreign and suspected spurious liquor intended for defence-personnel sales, with a chemical examination pending.

The Hindu

• Custody duration: Excise sought four days; the magistrate limited it to 24 hours.

Anto Augustine remanded in Excise custody for 24 hours in Abkari case

• Property ownership: Municipal records support prosecution; defense’s claim remains unverified publicly.

Anto Augustine’s ‘house not mine’ claim fails; Excise to seek custody

• Procedural steps: The Kerala High Court declined to hear Augustine’s interim bail plea on September 19 but scheduled a hearing for September 22. No update on the chemical analysis has been released.

Liquor seizure case: Kerala HC declines to hear Anto Augustine’s interim bail plea

The Kerala High Court will consider Augustine’s bail petition on September 22. The Excise Department is expected to file another custody application, and the pending chemical examination may shape further investigation. The SIT probe into the alleged Messi-event fraud continues, affecting Reporter Broadcasting Company and related stakeholders.

The Hindu