KOLLAM: Former state police chief T P Senkumar said the ISRO spy case was the result of search for a rented house for Rishiraj Singh, who was a deputy commissioner in Thiruvananthapuram in 1994. He made the revelation at a commemoration function organised by the Press Club for late journalist P K Thampi.
According to Senkumar, Singh found it difficult to get a house as most of the buildings were rented by people from the Maldives. Intrigued by the number of Maldivians in the city, Singh had directed Special Branch inspector Vijayan to find out the reason.
His investigation found irregularities in the passport of Mariam Rasheeda, one of the main accused in the case, said Senkumar. He said words such as “CIA” and “cryogenic engine” were later added to the case to give it a disproportionate dimension. He was the probe officer when the police probed the case after CBI. Former minister C V Padmarajan inaugurated the event.