Police intensify search for District Congress Committee member accused in land grab case in Thiruvananthapuram

The Thiruvananthapuram City police have intensified their search for Ananthapuri Manikandan, a District Congress Committee (DCC) member, who has been on the run following his alleged involvement in the Kowdiar land grab case.

Manikandan is one of the accused in the case relating to the illegal acquisition of land and property, owned by Dora Asariya Cripps, a United States resident, in Jawahar Nagar. The accused, a vendor, is suspected to have masterminded the fraudulent property transfer.

The Museum police had arrested two persons, Merin Jacob, 27, of Punalur, and Vasantha, 76, of Karakulam, in the case. The gang allegedly forged documents to register the land in name of Merin, who claimed to be Ms. Cripps’s adopted daughter, and later sold the same for around ₹1.5 crore in January. Vasantha’s uncanny resemblance to Ms. Cripps resulted in the scam.

Role of revenue officials

Besides Manikandan, another person, Chandrasenan, who purportedly purchased the property, has also been implicated in the case. The property had been registered at the Sub-Registrar office at Sasthamangalam. The investigation team has also been probing the alleged role of revenue officials in the case.

The fraud came to light a few weeks ago when the caretaker of the property had attempted to pay tax on the property, only to realise it had been transferred to someone else without his knowledge.

The police sources said Manikandan, whose anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the court on Thursday, has been absconding. A lookout notice has been issued for him. Chandrasenan was granted anticipatory bail, citing the absence of any cash transaction to prove the purchase. The investigation team will examine his bank details to ascertain the claim, an official said.