Following Chief Minister V D Satheesan's visit to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) barged into the residences of CPI(M) Polit Bureau  member Pinarayi Vijayan on May 27. Giving no consideration even to his status as a former Chief Minister, officials arrived early in the morning at his rented house near Bakery Junction in Thiruvananthapuram and at his ancestral home in Pinarayi, Kannur district. The team also reached the Kozhikode residence of CPI(M) State Secretariat member and former PWD minister P A Mohamed Riyas, son-in-law of Pinarayi Vijayan.

The raid was part of a long-standing witch-hunt, branding a legitimate business transaction between Pinarayi Vijayan's daughter T  Veena's company, Exalogic, and CMRL as money laundering. In all previous investigations, the ED had failed to find any evidence. Despite this, the ED's arrival following the change of government in the state clearly points to a high-level conspiracy. Chief Minister Satheesan, who arrived in Delhi on May 26, had visited the Prime Minister. The raids began right before his scheduled meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah on May 27. When questioned by the media about this, Satheesan refused to comment. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told the media that the police were unaware of the raid. However, top officials in the Chief Minister's Office were reportedly aware of it, which is why the specific day of the Chief Minister being in Delhi was chosen. Meanwhile, it is unbelievable that the Police Intelligence wing was unaware of the raid. The officials arrived for the search under the security protection of central forces. In Thiruvananthapuram, the team faced intense protests while returning.

Upon hearing the news of the raids, people across the state took to the streets in spontaneous protest without waiting for any official call. In Thiruvananthapuram, party workers led by CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govindan staged a sit-in on the road, shouting slogans. In Pinarayi, Central Committee members E P Jayarajan and K K Shailaja led the protests. In Delhi, protestors, including CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby, who were marching to the ED headquarters, were arrested by the police. The LDF has called for a statewide protest on May 28.