ALAPPUZHA: A 1985 mode l Kottayam-registered heavy goods vehicle KRO 1760 is not just another lorry. It is an ‘accused’ in an organised crime. And it must be punished. Invoking a clause in the Motor Vehicles Act for the first time, the motor vehicle department has ordered that the lorry be dismantled.
In 2005, the vehicle was involved in the death of North Paravoor-based T G Remesh and his sister Latha, of Everest Chit Fund, and their car driver Shamsudheen on the old NH-47 (now NH-66) at Kanichukulangara in Alappuzha. Later, investigation had blown the lid off a heinous crime and the biggest financial fraud in the history of the state.
The hit job was carried out by an industrialist group to end their rivals. The Kottayam regional transport officer (RTO) had earlier cancelled the registration of the lorry. “As directed by the transport commissioner (TC), the MVD decided to destroy vehicles used to implement organised crimes in the state. As part of that, the Cherthala joint RTO reported about the lorry after inspection and recommended the cancellation of registration,” said Kottayam Joint RTO D Jayaraj.
The vehicle has been under the custody of the Mararikulam police station for the past 17 years, said Cherthala Joint RTO Jebi I Cheriyan. Meanwhile, Mararikulam Sub Inspector Cecil Christian Raj said the police department will auction the vehicle, for dismantling, with the permission of the court. “We are awaiting the permission of the court to dismantle the vehicle. The car in which the victims travelled is also parked on the station premises,” the officer said.
The Kanichukulangara murder resulted from a ‘contract’ given by the owners of the Himalaya Chit Company of North Paravoor to take revenge on Ramesh, who was an employee in the company but later started another chit fund company, Everest. The ‘contract’ was given to Saju (Mrigam Saju), of Pallipuram, Cherayi, who entrusted the task to Ajith and Unnikrishnan. Ajith purchased the lorry ‘Kallarackal’ from a Kottayam native to carry out the murder.
Unnikrishnan, who drove the lorry, followed Remesh’s movements. When Remesh and family returned from Karunagappally after visiting a relative, the ‘contract’ team followed them and rammed their car at Kanichukulangara on July 20, 2005. Vijayadharan, Latha’s fatherin- law who had sustained grave injuries, too died. With a total of 13 persons accused in the murder, an Alappuzha court sentenced the first accused driver Unnikrishnan to death.
Life terms were awarded to Himalaya group managing directors Sajith and Bineesh, both Cherayi natives, their guard Saju, lorry owner Ajith and helper Shibin. The others were awarded milder sentences. The chit fund owners collected more than Rs 100 crore from the residents of the coastal areas of Ernakulam, Thrissur and Alappuzha districts, with the depositors losing all the money.