Kerala Health department job fraud: Main accused nabbed from Tamil Nadu

The suspected kingpin in the alleged job fraud and bribery in the Kerala Health department has been caught in Theni in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, police said on Friday.

Akhil Sajeev had been absconding ever since bribery charges cropped up against a personal staff member of Health Minister Veena George for the appointment of a medical officer recently.

The Health Minister's office had rejected the allegations against the personal staff member, Akhil Mathew, and lodged a complaint with the Thiruvananthapuram city police, seeking a detailed probe into it.

A senior police officer said Sajeev was taken into custody by a state police team from Theni in Tamil Nadu and was brought to Kerala.

"He was staying in a hideout in Theni. As he was not using his mobile phone, it was difficult for us to trace his exact location," the official told PTI.

His arrest would be recorded soon, the officer added.

Sajeev is also accused in another fraud case being investigated by the Pathanamthitta police.

He is a former office secretary of CITU, the trade union wing of the CPI(M), in Pathanamthitta.

The alleged job fraud, in connection with appointments under the Health department, came up recently after Haridasan, a Malappuram native, charged that Mathew, personal staff member of the health minister, accepted a bribe from him for the appointment of his daughter-in-law as a medical officer.

The Thiruvananthapuram city police had arrested M K Raees, a resident of Kozhikode, two days ago in connection with the case.

He was arrested for allegedly creating a fake email id related to temporary appointments in the Ayush Mission, police said.

Haridasan had alleged that a personal staff member of the minister accepted Rs 1 lakh as a bribe for the appointment of his daughter-in-law as a government medical officer.

Haridasan had further charged that a former office secretary of CITU in Pathanamthitta, who allegedly acted as a middleman, had also accepted a bribe for the said appointment. However, his daughter-in-law didn't get the job.

As the allegations triggered a huge political row in the state, Mathew approached the police, seeking a probe into the matter. The police registered an FIR under IPC Sections 419 and 420 (cheating) based on the complaint by Mathew.

Terming the bribery charges against the Health Minister's personal staff as 'serious', the opposition Congress had said corruption was thriving in all government departments in the state.