The Thrikkakara police on Monday arrested Vishnu Prasad, a clerk at the Ernakulam Collectorate, for alleged diversion of flood relief fund to accounts of ineligible persons.

The police had earlier registered a First Information Report (FIR) in this regard. Besides Vishnu, the police had listed M.M. Anwar, a local CPI M)) leader, in the FIR.

It was on a complaint by K. Chandrasekharan Nair, Deputy Collector and Additional District Magistrate, that the FIR was lodged. A preliminary inquiry report, prepared by the district administration, has been given to the police.

The district administration had placed Prasad under suspension after the preliminary inquiry found him involved in fraudulent deals. The two diverted the funds that were earmarked for the victims of 2018 floods through an account of Prasad at a cooperative bank in Ernakulam, the police said.