Cinema was his dream. Wanted for fraud, a man from Kottayam, Sajiv, scripted his way out in a filmy way. He published his own obituary. That would end it for once and all, so he hoped. Kottayam police, who were in pursuit, rewrote the script and arrested him on charges of fraud. Sajiv, a resident of Kumaranalloor, was wanted in a gold loan fraud in 2023. He pledged fake gold in two financial institutions at Thoothootty and Variseri and secured gold loan worth Rs 4.39 lakh.

Soon after he committed fraud, he went absconding. Gandhinagar police took up the case in 2024 and initial probe revealed no concrete information. Sajiv, hailing from Changanasserry had settled in Kumaranallor after marriage. Cops learnt that he maintained no contacts with his parents and wife. The police then came to know that Sajiv had always wanted to produce films. He had shared his dream with his friends and associates. The police took this lead and spread the investigation to Chennai. By then, Sajiv had rented out a room and was in the process of setting up a production company. "We understand that he planned to pool funds from those who shared his dream of entering film industry. We could collect information that he was actively trying to kick off production plans," a police official associated with the probe said.

The cops also received tip-off about his activities in Adayar. A three-member police team from Gandhinagar police station then learnt that he moved to Kodaikanal. "We initially thought that shooting of some films will be going on there. We focused on places where shooting was going on. Later we understood that he accompanied one of his friends from Thrissur to Kodaikanal. He drove his friend there. He was held from Kodaikanal on Friday early morning," the official said. The police said that his idea of publishing an obit was a diversion from people whom he owed money. In his obit, he used a fake name and included names of children also. It was shown that funeral would be held at Adayar.

Sajiv, who had been into construction business earlier, ran into huge debt after the business plunged into loss during Covid. He piled up debts and pledged fake gold as a way to amass quick funds and start a new business. He was produced in Kottayam judical first class magistrate court-2 on Saturday. Gandhinagar SIs Anuraj, Sathyan, civil police officers Anoop and Renjith were part of the team who arrested Sanjiv.