Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K Sudhakaran expressed his willingness to step aside from his role in the light of his arrest in a cheating case involving fake antiquities.
Sudhakaran was on Friday arrested by the Crime Branch in the case and later released on bail.
The prime accused in the aforesaid case is the controversial dealer of antiques Monson Mavunkal.
"I'm ready to step aside from my role as KPCC president if necessary. I will not do anything to harm the party," Sudhakaran said.
"I'm confident of my innocence. I'm not afraid of the probe," he added.
Sudhakaran's confidante to be questioned
Meanwhile, the Crime Branch is all set to extend the probe to Sudhakaran's companions as well. The investigation team will question Ebin Abraham, Sudhakaran's confidante and a Congress leader based in Ernakulam, on Sunday.
According to police sources, Ebin had accompanied Sudhakaran on all occasions when the latter called on Monson Mavunkal, the main accused in the case.
Ebin also allegedly carried out financial dealings worth lakhs of rupees with Monson. The Crime Branch collected key evidence including videos, images, and phone call documents of Ebin attempting to influence the complainants in the case, sources said.
The investigation team is unlikely to quiz two other accused in the case, ex-DIG S Surendran and IG G Lakshmana soon.
A state-wide protest is brewing following the arrest of Sudhakaran. The Congress is observing Black Day on Saturday and Sunday.
Sudhakaran was arraigned as an accused in the cheating case earlier this month, nearly two years after the arrest of Monson in September 2021. While Monson is accused of duping Rs 10 crore from the complainants, who also claimed that they had paid another Rs 25 lakh in the presence of Sudhakaran.
The Crime Branch also found out that Sudhakaran had visited the house of Monson a dozen times since the middle of 2018.
