Solar fraud: Police on the look out for ex-Director of PRD

Thiruvananthapuram, July 3: Police is on the look out for former director of Public Relations Department in Kerala, A Firoze, who figures as an accused in a cheating case involving the solar panel scam accused Saritha Nair and Biju Radhakrishnan.

Congress-led UDF Government headed by Oommen Chandy has been under attack over the solar case after the arrest of one of Chief Minister's close aides, Joppan, for his links with Saritha.

According to police sources, the investigators are on the search for Firoze as his anticipatory bail application to avoid arrest was rejected by a local court on Tuesday.

Firoze was suspended from the high government post a fortnight back after his alleged links with fraudsters involved in solar panel scam surfaced.

The police case against Firoze was that he introduced Saritha and Biju to a builder in the city saying one of them was an official of Asian Development Bank and from whom they duped Rs 40 lakh promising to arrange a contract with the ADB.

Firoze was said to be under treatment in a hospital here. But the police could not trace him when they went to the hospital in search of him after the court turned down his anticipatory bail application, police sources said.

Apart of the arrest of his personal assistant Joppan, a gunman of Chandy, Salim Raj, was suspended from police service for his suspected links with the solar case accused.

The scam pertains to alleged fraudulent deals running into crores of rupees indulged in by a firm run by Saritha and Biju by duping clients for solar panel installation schemes.

The Opposition LDF has launched a campaign across the state demanding resignation of Chandy over the scam.

PTI