The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : A host of charges against him

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

A host of charges against him

Staff Reporter

Police list Santhosh Madhavan’s assets
Yet to probe his links with a police officer

KOCHI: Among media reports that surfaced after cases were registered against Santhosh Madhavan, against whom Interpol has issued a lookout notice, were allegations of his involvement in shady real estate deals.

During interrogation, the police said, the accused said he owned an apartment at Royal Stadium Mansion, Kadavanthra, where he was staying, a lodge on 25 cents of land at Kattappana, 6 acres of paddy field in Vaikom and 13 cents of beachfront at Cherai. He had cash deposits totalling Rs. 80 lakh in four banks, said City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham.

Many documents of registration of plots seized during a search at his residence showed that he used to buy many plots in his capacity as president of the charitable organisation Santhitheeram. His practice was to make agreements for sale of land and sell it off for profit before registration, the police said.

The Deputy Director of Enforcement was alerted on December 13, 2007 to his alleged role in some hawala transactions. It was then pointed out that his lodge at Kattappana cost Rs. 1.3 crore, said Vinson M. Paul, Inspector-General of Police, Ernakulam Range.

Asked about the reported connections that the accused had with prominent film and political personalities, the police officials said that he was popular among them as an astrologer.

The police are yet to probe the links that Sam Christie Daniel, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kochi city, before being transferred to Alappuzha, allegedly had with the accused. Initial inquiries had that they had a common friend and the police officer visited the residence of the accused a couple of times and also attended his marriage, the police officials said.

During interrogation, Santhosh Madhavan confessed to having met Serafin Edwin, a Keralite in Dubai, who has lodged a complaint that he had cheated her of four lakh dirhams. However, he told the police that he had collected only 75,000 dirhams as fee for some service he had rendered, Mr. Abraham said.

The police raided the residence of the accused after the City Police Commissioner got information that evidences were being moved from there.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala