Kollam: Rama Devi, mother of serial actor Surya Sasikumar and a key accused in the seizure of Rs 57 lakh in counterfeit currency from Anakkara the other day, is said to have close links with many prominent politicians in the state.

The investigation team has mobilised relevant proof to establish that local politicians were regular visitors to her house near the Women ITI at Manayilkulangara.

The fake notes were of Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations with watermark and security thread closely matching the original. The prime accused, Leo George, 44, is said to be an expert in making fake currencies.

According to the police, the family’s businesses were looked after by Rama Devi and her younger daughter Sruthi, while it was Surya who invested around Rs 6 lakh to purchase machines and accessories used to print fake currency notes. They had been leading a mysterious and secretive life and were not in touch with their relatives or neighbours. There is an air of mystery about the house as well. The huge compound wall is covered with thick climbing plants such as Bougainville to block the view from the road.

It was Ambiyil Krishnakumar, 46, of Adinadu near Karunagappalli, and Anakkara resident Kudiyankunnel Raveendran, 58, who supplied the counterfeit notes to agents. Acting on a tip-off received by Kumily DySP C Rajmohan, the police nabbed the two when they reached Kumily to strike a deal with agents based in Tamil Nadu.

During interrogation, they revealed the source of the fake notes, leading to police raids on Rama Devi’s residence. Apart from printing materials and accessories, fake currency notes worth Rs 40 lakh in various stages of printing were also recovered during the search.

Rama Devi’s husband Sasikumar died in a road accident in Kuwait a few years ago. He was working with a jewellery outlet there. She had been leading a luxurious life using the hefty amount received in compensation for his death, the police said.

Reportedly, crores were spent on the wedding of Surya which was attended by the who’s who of the serial industry. However, the marriage did not last long and the family plunged into a deep financial crisis. They were forced to borrow a loan of Rs 1 crore from the District Cooperative Bank pledging the family-owned house. When the bank issued property attachment notice after the family defaulted on their payment, they decided to sell off the house to a neighbour. It was he who repaid the loan amount.

It was then they came in contact with a counterfeit currency racket through a person known as Swami, a native of Wayanad. The police are on the lookout for twelve more persons including him.

Swami’s advise

According to the police, it was Swami who introduced them to the kingpins of the fake currency racket in order to help them get out of the financial rut. Swami, who used to make a living by conducting prayers and rituals at homes, had visited Uma Devi’s house in Manayilkulangara to perform a puja.

The family was financially strong until a few years ago. They used to lend money to businessmen in the locality charging exorbitant interests, the police revealed.

They fell into a debt trap after their borrowers refused to return money in the wake of the government initiatives to rein in illegal money lending. To make matters worse, Uma Devi was also duped of Rs 1 crore by a rice-pulling gang. It was then the accused priest entered the scene and advised them to contact the counterfeit note racket.

The fake notes seized from the house were of Rs 200 and Rs 500 denominations, but the printing of the latter was not completed.

Leo is a habitual offender with many cases of 'Rice Pulling' and ‘Nagamanikyam’ frauds and sexual abuse pending against him, the police added.

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