Thiruvananthapuram: The role of a former bureaucrat too is under scanner as the probe into a property grab of a rich family at Karamana here picks up pace. Seven members of the family had died allegedly under mysterious circumstances in nearly three decades and another probe is also under way in this regard.
Former Distict Collector of Wayanad N Mohandas has also been named as accused in the case pertaining to the alleged illegal transfer of assets of the Koodathil family.
Mohandas is a native of Palkulangara in Thiruvananthapuram. His wife Mayadevi, a member of the Koodathil family, has also been named in the case. Mohandas has been accused of using illegal means to swindle the assets when he was the tehsildar.
He had retired from service 15 years ago.
However, the former district collector has denied the allegations. He claimed that his wife had inherited the family property and that he had no link to the will or the court procedures. He further said that he came to know about the will through media reports. He also said that complainant Prasanna Kumari, wife of one of the deceased Unnikrishnan Nair, had no claim over the assets inherited by his wife.
The police have submitted the First Information Report (FIR) in the magistrate court against 12 people, who have been slapped with non-bailable offences such as conspiracy, cheating, forging fake will and issuing threats.
The others named as accused in the case are caretaker Raveendran Nair of Manakkad, aide Sahadevan, relatives or others who have received assets - Lathadevi, Shyam Kumar, Sarasa devi, Sulochana Devi, V T Nair, domestic maid Leela of Manakkad and Anil Kumar of Kalady.
Gopinathan Nair of the Uma Mandiram house of the Koodathil family at Kalady, his wife Sumukhiamma, children Jayasree, Jayabalakrishnan, Jayaprakash, Gopinathan Nair's nephews Unnikrishnan Nair and Jayamadhavan Nair had died from 1991 to 2017.
Probe team look for land records
The probe team is trying to trace the land records to ascertain the alleged bid to grab property. Requests have been submitted to revenue, registration and legal departments to access the records.
Prasanna Kumari had alleged that Raveendran Nair and his aides had filed a case in the Thiruvananthapuram sub-court and this was later settled and subsequently they had taken hold of the assets.
It would take at least two-three months to collect the records and scientific tests too would be needed.
Three tactics?
The FIR submitted by the police stated that land and house, worth crores of rupees, owned by Jayamadhavan was taken over by Raveendran Nair through three different tactics.
First, Jayamadhavan and his relatives were coerced to file a case that a kin had taken over the land. During the out-of-the-court settlement, Raveendran Nair and his aide Sahadevan, who are not relatives of those party to the case, also reportedly got a share of the land.
Second, Raveendran Nair allegedly sold the property of Jayamadhavan and got the money. And finally, Raveendran Nair, friend Anil Kumar and the maid colluded to forge a fake will and took over the land and the house, the FIR alleged.
Witness backtracks
One of the suspects Anil Kumar has reportedly backtracked from his statement. He had earlier spoken in favour of caretaker Raveendran Nair, but now has gone back on his statement in this regard.
Kumar was one of the witnesses, who signed on the will purportedly prepared by Jayamadhavan Nair, the last to die in the family. As per this will, his assets were transferred to Raveendran Nair.
In his first statement given to the district Crime Branch, Kumar had said that the will was prepared at the Koodathil houe in the presence of Jayamadhavan, maid Leela and Raveendran Nair.
However, Kumar told the Karamana police the other day that he was not present at the Koodathil house when the will was prepared and that Raveendran Nair had reached his home to get his signature. Kumar further claimed that he did not know what was written on the paper and that he signed the documents while placing them on the bike for support.
Kumar is reportedly a friend of Raveendran Nair.
The police have also found that that Kumar had helped Raveedran Nair to wriggle his way out of some cases. The probe team is of the opinion that Kumar's statements would help them in the probe.
The Special Branch police had earlier found that the Raveendran Nair rewarded Anil Kumar for helping him in forging the fake will. Raveendran Nair had reportedly acted as the main link in all dealings over the assets of the Koodathil family.
Special team
Meanwhile, a 12-member team has been formed to investigate about the mysterious deaths and the alleged illegal transfer of assets. Crime Branch DCP Mohammed Ariff would supervise the probe team that would include district Crime branch DCP M S Santhosh, Karamana CI P Shajimon, sub-inspectors of district the Crime Branch and the Karamana police.
City Police Commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyay presided over the probe team's meet the other day.
Currently, the probe team would investigate the mysterious deaths of Jayamadhavan Nair, 62, and Jayaprakash.