THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The special investigation team of the Tamil Nadu police probing the Nirmal Krishna chit fund fraud case has said the key accused Nirmalan Krishnan Nair is likely to surrender in a week. Nair has been absconding since early September after closing down his chit fund firm Nirmal Krishna Chit fund Private Ltd.
According to sources, the police team came to the conclusion that Nair was most likely to surrender before a court in Thiruvananthapuram soon as he is under pressure from ‘some VIPs’ in Kerala. The ‘VIPs” are apprehensive that the probe may ultimately zero in on them. Hence they told Nair to surrender so that the probe comes to an end. However, the police are trying their maximum to stop his moves and trace him,” sources said.
Two days ago, Nair’s counsel had withdrawn the anticipatory bail application from the magistrate court in the capital. The investigators see the move as an attempt to surrender. Earlier, the investigation team had interrogated a former Human Resource Manager of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), who is also a close associate of former Health Minister V S Sivakumar. Harikrishnan, a native of Neyyattinkara, was summoned by the Tamil Nadu economic offences wing of the Crime Branch. They recorded his statements on his alleged murky land deals with Nair.
There are reports that Nair had transferred the ownership of his properties to Harikrishnan. Harikrishnan, an employee of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, was an HR manager of NRHM during the previous UDF Government and his appointment had kicked up a row . However, the investigators are yet to arrest him.
Nirmal Krishna chit fund company, a finance firm which functioned in Palukal in Tamil Nadu and close to Kerala border, had allegedly duped over 13,600 investors from Kerala and Tamil Nadu who had deposited over Rs 500 crore under various investment schemes on the promise of good returns. Among them were several people hailing from Parassala, Vellarada and Kunnathukal areas bordering Tamil Nadu. The cheating came to light after the office failed to reopen after the Onam break.
The firm had registered the mortgaged properties in the names of the arrested persons. The firm had collected deposits from various persons, including businessmen and politicians, from Kanyakumari and Thiruvananthapuram districts.