Thrissur: Police probing the Rs 3.5 crore black-money heist said BJP had tried to recover the cash that was taken away from a car after faking an accident on the national highway at Kodakara early on April 3.
BJP leaders had reportedly summoned and questioned Ranjith and Deepak, two accused persons in the case, at the party office. Police said questioning the accused duo augmented the allegation that the money belonged to the national party.
Two party leaders, who had summoned the accused to the party office, were interrogated, police said, adding that the CCTV visuals from the BJP office would be examined in detail. Investigators felt that the BJP had identified the robbery gang before the police.
Police came to know of the questioning at the party office while interrogating the accused persons. Investigators said the accused men’s statement was proof enough to show that the cash was meant for BJP.
BJP district president K K Aneesh Kumar, meanwhile, stated to the police that the money, allegedly smuggled in through hawala route, was not for the party’s poll campaign fund. He added that he was busy with the election campaign at Kunnamkulam, where he was the BJP candidate.
Kumar further told the police that Deepak was summoned to the party office and a parallel probe was initiated into the robbery based on A K Dharmarajan’s complaint.
Car driver Shamjeer had earlier told the police that he was ferrying Rs 25 lakh meant for Dharmarajan, an RSS functionary in Kozhikode, when he was robbed.
District president Kumar said the party arranged a hotel room for Dharmarajan since he was bringing pamphlets for the BJP’s poll campaign. BJP Thrissur office secretary Sathish had told investigators that he had booked the room as instructed by party leaders.
Police once again interrogated Deepti, wife of prime accused Ranjith, and a co-accused in the case. Investigators said Rs 17 lakh more have to be recovered from him.
Though the police complaint had said Rs 25 lakh was robbed, investigators have, so far, recovered Rs 1 crore.
The case has created a violent split in the party with two groups clashing with each other at Vadanappally on Sunday. One BJP worker was stabbed in the incident.
A day later. BJP suspended its OBC Morcha Vice-President Rishi Palpu from the party’s primary membership over a Facebook post. After his suspension, Palpu lodged a police complaint, saying district general secretary K R Hari had made death threats against him.
