Thiruvananthapuram: The CCTV footage examined in connection with the allegations of a recruitment scam in the health minister's office does not show money changing hands nor the primary accused in the complaint.
The visuals only show the complainant Haridasan and his friend Basith near the Secretariat. Akhil Mathew, who has been accused of the fraud, is missing from the footage.
Police examined the visuals accessed from the CCTV in front of the Secretariat. The team investigating the allegations reached Annex 2 of the Secretariat and examined the footage. As per reports, police did not find any instance of money being exchanged during the periods mentioned in the complaint.
Police sources informed that the investigation would only proceed after verifying the credibility of the complainant's statement.
According to Haridasan, an envelope carrying Rs 1 lakh in Rs 500 denominations was handed over to Akhil Mathew, who is Health Minister Veena George's personal staff.
It is stated in the complaint filed at Cantonment station that the money was handed over on April 10. The police sent a letter to the public administration department the other day asking permission to check CCTV footage.
The accusation
Akhil Mathew was accused of taking a bribe of Rs 1 lakh for offering a job at Ayush Kendra. In an expose, Malappuram native Haridasan Kummali told the media that he paid the minister's staff Rs 1 lakh and Rs 75,000 to Pathanamthitta CITU leader Akhil Sajeev to ensure that his daughter-in-law Dr Nitha Raj got a temporary job at Ayush Kendra.
Haridasan said he wire-transferred Rs 25,000 to Akhil. As he was asked to meet Akhil Mathew at the minister's office, he went to Thiruvananthapuram on April 10 and handed over Rs 1 lakh to him near an auto stand. He was also apparently told that Akhil Mathew is the minister's relative.
Though an appointment order came in an email, which claimed Dr Nitha would be posted at Chetana Hospital at Vandur, Haridasan said they neither received the promised order in the mail nor got the job.
