KOCHI: Joint Land Revenue Commissioner M Kaushik on Wednesday collected evidence in the case related to embezzlement of flood relief fund, involving a clerk at the Ernakulam Collectorate and two local CPM leaders. As part of the departmental inquiry, Kaushik met District Collector S Suhas at his office and collected the files related to the scam. “The joint land revenue commissioner started the probe based on the report filed by the collector last month.
Kaushik will prepare a report and submit it to the revenue principal secretary and land revenue commissioner within a week,” said an officer. Earlier, the collector had recommended the government to attach the property owned by the prime accused Vishnu Prasad. The Kochi City Police’s District Crime Branch unit is probing into two cases related to the scam.
The investigation team found that a sum of `23.09 lakh was diverted from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. Vishnu and six others are accused in the first case. Meanwhile, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) had found embezzlement of a sum of about `79 lakh. Following ADM’s complaint another case was registered. The ongoing inquiry is on the embezzlement of funds accounting for more than `1 crore. The police have arrested four persons, including Vishnu Prasad. Koulath Anwar, the wife of absconding third accused and ex-CPM leader Anwar M M, and Neethu Mahesh, second accused B Mahesh’s wife, have also been arraigned in the case.
According to the internal inquiry findings, names of 325 beneficiaries were duplicated while allotting them flood relief in March 2019. As a result, the additional fund that was in the treasury account was transferred to Anwar’s account. The bank employees grew suspicious when huge amount was transferred from state treasury to Anwar’s account. Collector was immediately alerted and he soon issued an order to seize the amount.
Youth Congress march turns violent
Kochi: A march taken out by Youth Congress workers to the district Crime Branch office, alleging police laxity in the inquiry against a CPM leader in the flood relief fund scam, turned violent after police resorted to lathi charge on Wednesday. Youth Congress district president Titto Antony and seven others sustained grievous injuries and were admitted to Indira Gandhi Hospital, Kadavanthra. A section of protesters attempted to pull down the barricade, following which police resorted to lathi charge.
HC asks accused duo to surrender before investigation team
Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed Anwar M M and his wife Kaulath Anwar, the third and fourth accused, respectively, in the flood fund scam, to surrender before the investigation officer within 10 days. The duo has been on the run ever since the case came to light. The court said they have to undergo interrogation to ascertain how their bank account was utilised to siphon off government money. The court observed that Anwar was a close friend of the second accused Mahesh B and all three had gone to Tamil Nadu to purchase of a poultry farm. However, the court said that since Koulath is just a joint account holder with Anwar, she is entitled to get bail after interrogation.