Key suspect in Kerala cheating case arrested in Coimbatore

By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram

Police yesterday arrested the main suspect in a cheating case that saw two members of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s office lose their jobs last week, from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said yesterday.

Biju Radhakrishnan was on the run since the arrest of his accomplice Saritha S Nair on June 3.

Radhakrishnan’s arrest comes amid opposition demand for Chandy’s resignation.

“This is a fitting answer to those who want to put the government on the mat over the issue,” Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said, referring to the uproar in the assembly and protests by opposition activists alleging nexus between the government and the fugitive.

Police traced Radhakrishnan’s phone calls and trapped him in Coimbatore yesterday afternoon while he was trying to sell his laptop. He reached Coimbatore from Thrissur on June 5 and travelled to places like Madurai and Nagercoil.

“He was arrested from a place on the outskirts of Coimbatore city in a joint operation by the Kerala and Tamil Nadu police,” the home minister said. “The police acted swiftly and with precision. The arrest puts all speculations to rest.”

Wanted in more than two dozen cheating cases, Radhakrishnan was arrested by the Crime Branch team from Kollam investigating the 2006 death of his wife Reshmi. Police say traces of poison were found in her body and it was a case of suicide.

He will be produced in a court in Kollam today.

Nair, and her former live-in partner Radhakrishnan, had formed a company Team Solar, engaged in setting up solar panels at offices and homes. They collected millions of rupees from influential people in the state on the promise of providing the equipment to tap green sources of energy.

Following numerous complaints of cheating, Nair was arrested.

Since her arrest, a TV channel backed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) came out with a list of calls made by Nair, which showed she had maintained close links with the office of Chandy.

Meanwhile, Nair, who was produced in a court in Ernakulam district for extension of her custody, claimed she had no role in the deals as she was only a marketing person.

The two face charges of embezzlement, fraud, cheating, forgery and use of forged documents to con their victims into investing money in their imaginative projects in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Nair’s telephone call details showed she had been in close contact with Chandy’s personal assistant Teny Jopan and one of his security guards, Salim Raj. The two were dismissed last week.

The state assembly meanwhile witnessed uproarious scenes yesterday, with the opposition reiterating that Chandy resign and order a judicial probe. The demands were rejected by the chief minister.

“You have been demanding my resignation for long on various issues, and I tell you I will be in this chair as long as I can hold on to what I believe, and have done no wrong,” Chandy said.

He said there are 14 cases registered against the accused. The cases relate to the time when the previous V S Achuthanandan government was in office (2006-2011).

“You never did anything on these cases, and it was this government that went ahead and arrested the woman. Now you want a judicial probe. Why did you not do anything then, I wish to know,” Chandy said.

Later the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) held a meeting and backed Chandy.

“The UDF has given a clean chit to the chief minister and the Left opposition is simply trying to kick up a needless controversy. He has already taken action and the probe is currently on,” Labour Minister Shibu Baby John said.