Chengannur: A former panchayat member representing the BJP and his accomplice have surrendered before the police in connection with a case of taking money from people promising jobs in the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the Indian Railways. Both had been on the run after the scam came out in the public domain.

The accused Sanu N Nair of Mulakuzha and Rajesh Kumar of Budhanoor surrendered at the Chengannur police station on Thursday. Other accused in the case are yet to be nabbed.

Sanu had contested as an NDA candidate from the Arikkara division of the Chengannur Block Panchayat in the last local civic body polls. He, however, lost. He was reportedly a member of the village panchayat earlier.

Earlier a case was registered against nine persons including Sanu, Rajesh and Lenin Mathew of Mundeli in Ernakulam.

Modus operandi

The accused cheated about Rs 1 crore from various people on the pretext of getting them in the central government establishments.

The accused reportedly cheated many people after taking huge sums of money, claiming that they were close confidantes of senior BJP leaders. They used to show their photographs taken along with BJP ministers and top leaders to make the job promise sound convincing.

Lenin Mathew was introduced to the people as a member of the FCI Central Board. He also used a car with a fake board of FCI for carrying out the fraud.

According to the complaint, the accused also stayed in hotels near FCI offices in Chennai and Delhi to conduct interviews there.