The extent of the flood relief scam seems to be getting bigger, with the C-Branch investigation team pegging the amount diverted from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) at ₹23.09 lakh, an exponential rise from the initial estimated misappropriation of ₹10.54 lakh.
With the investigators suspecting more amount to have been misappropriated by the first accused, Vishnu Prasad, through criminal conspiracy with the other six accused, the figure is likely to go up further.
In their application submitted before the Muvattupuzha Vigilance Court for the custody of Vishnu Prasad, the police delineated an intricate web of transactions through which he diverted funds from the CMDRF between November 2019 and January this year, exploiting his official capacity.
Multiple accounts
The application said that initially the first accused had illegally transferred ₹7.49 lakh from a treasury savings bank account maintained by the District Collector at the district treasury for distribution of flood relief to his own multiple personal accounts and those of the second accused, B. Mahesh, and the fifth accused, M.M. Neethu.
He allegedly transferred ₹20,000 to his personal accounts at the Kakkanad branch of ICICI Bank, ₹3.50 lakh to the Palarivattom branch of HDFC Bank and ₹1.25 lakh to another account maintained by him at the Thevara branch of the Ernakulam District Cooperative Bank.
Besides, the first accused transferred ₹31,500 each to the personal accounts held by the second accused at the Kakkanad branch of Union Bank and the Punnakkal branch of the State Bank of India.
Another ₹31,500 was transferred to the personal account of the fifth accused at the Kakkanad branch of Corporation Bank, ₹1 lakh to the account held at the Piravom branch of Union Bank.
The first accused further transferred ₹2.50 lakh to the account held by the second accused at the Kakkanad branch of the District Cooperative Bank and another ₹5 lakh to the account held by the Ayyanad Service Cooperative Bank at the Kakkanad branch of Federal Bank. Later, the third accused, M.M. Anwar, and the fourth accused, Kaulat Anwar, who was also a board member of the Ayyanad Service Cooperative Bank, got it transferred to their joint account by producing the Unique Transaction Reference number secured with the help of the first accused.
The third accused then transferred ₹49,999 each to the personal accounts held by the second accused and the fifth accused, husband and wife, at the Kakkanad branch of HDFC Bank.
Later, the sixth accused, Nithin N.N., and the seventh accused, Shintu Martin, husband and wife, received ₹2.50 lakh, which was transferred to their accounts at the Kakkanad Grameen Bank and the Kakkanad branch of Dena Bank.
The first accused then transferred another ₹2.50 lakh, ₹1.25 lakh, and ₹1.79 lakh to the account of the Ayyanad Service Cooperative Bank held in Federal Bank with the ulterior motive of misappropriating it through the personal accounts of the third and fourth accused.