The Kerala Police on Friday arrested Malayalam actress-dancer Shalu Menon for cheating and other offences in relation to the infamous solar scam which has been rocking the State’s political and social scenes for more than the past one month. She was arrested as second accused in the cases related to three fraudulent deals under non-bailable charges.
The arrest of Shalu, who was taken into custody from her house at Changanassery in Kottayam district on Friday afternoon, was recorded at Thiruvananthapuram late in the evening at the end of a preliminary questioning by the special police team headed by Additional DGP A Hemachandran, which was probing the scam.
Shalu was arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by one Rasiq Ali of Thiruvananthapuram in which he had said that Shalu, along with Biju Radhakrishnan, the other main perpetrator of the scam, had cheated him of Rs71-lakh in the name of a business deal.
After questioning her, Hemachandran informed the media that Shalu had admitted her involvement in the cases related to the solar scam. The police charged her with cheating, financial swindling, conspiracy and impersonation. She was shifted to a Women’s Police Station in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday night. Shalu will be produced before the court on Saturday.
The arrest of the actress, known to have close connections with several political bigwigs including Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, came after a Thrissur court on Thursday ordered legal proceedings against her though Rasiq Ali's complaint had been pending with the police for the past several weeks.
According to Rasiq Ali, the bogus company had cheated him of a total of Rs71 lakh and it was Shalu who had taken Rs25 lakh of this amount. Sources said that the actress had claimed her share of the income the company had been making from fraudulent deals for installation of solar power projects and windmills.
The police came under flak for allowing the actress to travel to the police station in her own luxury car instead of the police vehicle after being taken into custody in connection with a case for non-bailable offences. “It is a shame for the entire Kerala Police,” said Government chief whip PC George.
Shalu is said to be the co-perpetrator of the solar scam along with con woman Saritha S Nair, who had misused even the office of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy for promoting her bogus solar power company, and her fraudster ex-husband Biju Radhakrishnan. Their company had cheated several people of many crores of rupees in the name of solar power projects.
The First Class Magistrate Court in Thrissur had ordered initiation of a case against her on the basis of a PIl which said she was involved in the cheating of Rasiq Ali and that she had helped Biju Radhakrishnan escape to Tamil Nadu after the arrest of Saritha Nair on June 3.
Shalu and Biju had gone to Thrissur from Changanassery on June 3. Biju, who was arrested later, had used her car to go into hiding and he had been using her mobile phone after that. It is said that Biju, also accused of murdering his former wife Rasmi, had wanted to marry Shalu.
Most of the money used for the construction of Shalu's palatial bungalow in Changanassery is said to have come from the bogus solar business. Several prominent personalities including Home Minister Thiruvanchoor and Union Minister Kodikkunnil Suresh had participated in the housewarming ceremony of this bungalow at which Biju also was present.
