Flood relief scam: Crime Branch team receives crucial evidence

KOCHI: The district Crime Branch team probing the sensational flood relief scam on Wednesday seized documents relating to the misappropriation allegedly carried out by former CPM local leader M M Anwar, the third accused in the case, through the Ayyanad Service Cooperative Bank.The investigation team recovered the documents during an evidence collection carried out along with Anwar, who was sent to police custody by the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court on Tuesday. Anwar, a former member of CPM Thrikkakara East Local Committee, who had been on the run for about three months, surrendered before the police on Monday.

According to the investigation team, Anwar and wife Koulath Anwar are the prime accused in the case in which a sum of `23.09 lakh was diverted from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Anwar, along with wife Koulath Anwar,   who was the then board member of the Ayyanad bank, transferred the amount to their joint account by convincing the bank secretary that it was a transaction meant for them by producing the Unique Transaction Reference number.

The probe team also collected the transaction history and recovered receipts of his withdrawals from the account.Vishnu Prasad, 30, a collectorate employee, is the first accused, while Mahesh B, 43, is the second accused, his wife, Neethu M M, former local CPM leader Nithin N N and his wife Shintu Martin are the other accused in the case.