Causing much embarrassment to Kerala’s Congress party and Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in the middle of a crucial Assembly by-election, the CBI on Wednesday arrested his former personal security officer Salim Raj and six others in the sensational Kadakampally land grab scam. The Chandy Government had earlier faced several serious charges in connection with the massive scandal.
The CBI arrested a total of ten persons including Salim Raj from Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi in connection with the Kadakampally land scam and an equally sensational land grab case in Kalamassery near Kochi. Salim Raj, allegedly involved in the Kalamassery case also, was arrested in Thiruvananthapuram. As per the CBI’s FIR, there were 26 accused in the case.
Four of those arrested were Revenue Department officials while four were relatives of Salim Raj. The Kadakampally case pertains to an alleged attempt to grab 12.27 acres of prime land in Thiruvananthapuram district from its legitimate owners by quoting non-existent court orders, fake Revenue records, forged sale and partition deeds, etc.
Salim Raj is one of the prime accused in this case. The Kalamassery case relates to a similar attempt to grab 1.16 acres of land from one Nasser, its legitimate owner, by using similar methods and the influence of Salim Raj over officials. The Kerala High Court ordered a CBI probe into the land scam in March, 2014.
The CBI had not so far named Salim Raj as an accused in the Kalamassery land grab case but sources said he could be listed as accused soon as the sleuths had collected enough evidences against him. They said the agency had arrived at the conclusion that the complaint of the petitioners was genuine.
The Special CBI Court in Thiruvananthapuram left the seven persons arrested in the Kadakampally case, including Salim Raj, in the custody of the CBI till Saturday evening while the Ernakulam Chief Judicial Magistrate Court left the three held in Kochi in the agency’s custody for questioning for two days.
Congress leaders, obviously apprehensive that the development could affect the prospects of the party-led ruling UDF in the June 27 Assembly by-election in Aruvikkara constituency, were quick to dissociate themselves from Salim Raj and to describe him as a mere fraudster whom Chandy had expelled as his gunman the moment his illegal activities had come to light.
“law will take its course,” was how Chandy himself responded to the development. “I don’t attach much importance to this arrest. It’s not going to affect the by-election,” said State Congress President VM Sudheeran. Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the arrest should be based on evidences the CBI had got. Salim Raj said his response would come later.
However, the CPI(M)-led Opposition lDF has already taken the issue to the electorate in Aruvikkara. Former Government chief whip PC George said, “Salim Raj has not done anything without Oommen Chandy’s knowledge. We will soon see the CBI arresting Chandy also after they question him.”
Salim Raj, who had allegedly been wielding extraordinary influence over Chandy, was earlier accused of helping con woman Saritha S Nair, chief perpetrator of the infamous solar scam. The Chief Minister was forced to remove him as his gunman after a preliminary police probe concluded that there was substance in the charge.
The charge against Salim Raj in the land scam is that he and his relatives had hatched a conspiracy to grab the land in Kadakampally village with the connivance of Revenue officials, for which he could have got the help of his wife Shamjad, herself an employee in the Revenue Department. The CBI has reportedly slapped the charge of destruction of evidence also on him.
During the hearing on the petitions over the Kadakampally and Kalamassery land scams, the High Court had come down heavily on the Government several times. The court had even wondered whether the Government was scared of the Chief Minister’s former gunman after it showed reluctance to reveal Salim Raj’s telephone call records.