Wayanad: The police have arrested a Thiruvananthapuram native for siphoning off ₹12 lakh from a man after offering a clerical job in the Railways for his son.

The arrested person has been identified as Thottarikatth R Ratheeshkumar (40), a native of Vettikkonam, Peroorkada, Thiruvananthapuram.

Absconding for almost a year, he was taken into custody by a special Meppadi police team from Thampanoor on Thursday. He had been living in a rented house under a different name.

According to the police, the accused took the money from a Vaduvanchal native in March 2023. Two of his accomplices, Geetha Rani and Vijesh, were arrested in December 2024 and July 2025, respectively. Both are wanted in several cheating cases. One more accused is still evading arrest, the police said.

As part of the conspiracy, the Vaduvanchal native and his son were summoned to an office in Chennai and interviewed by two individuals posing as senior railway officials. The racket had also fabricated Southern Railway letterheads and appointment orders to win the confidence of the victims. The fake appointment order was handed over to the son and later sent again by registered post.

However, the father-son duo grew suspicious after no official communication followed the appointment order. They later approached the Railway office in Chennai, where officials confirmed that the document was fake. When they demanded the money back, the accused disappeared and switched off his phone.

The victims lodged a complaint with the Meppadi police in September 2024. Though police tracked him several times, he repeatedly evaded arrest until now.