In the wake of the allegation of bribery involving the personal staff of Kerala Health Minister Veena George, the examination of CCTV footage reportedly drew a blank on money exchanging hands.
The CCTV footage of the secretariat was examined by the police.
In the footage, while the complainant, Haridasan, and his friend KP Basith are seen in front of the secretariat, Akhil P Mathew, the key accused in the case, is nowhere in the picture.
In his statement to the police, Haridasan had repeatedly said that he had handed over the money to Mathew, an employee in the Health Minister’s office , for the appointment.
Only yesterday, a sub-inspector (SI), Shefin, from Thiruvananthapuram Cantonment, took Haridasan’s statement at his residence in Malappuram yesterday. He handed over phone records and WhatsApp messages to the SI.
Haridasan said the police asked about Basith, who was tasked to inform the Health Minister about the bribry demand for the appointment.
The complaint, filed by Haridasan Kummali, a native of Malappuram, alleged that Akhil Mathew, one of the personal staff members of Health Minister Veena George, and Akhil Sajeev, acting as mediators, demanded money in lieu of the appointment of a homeopathy medical officer at the Ayush Kendra.
Earlier, Haridasan had disclosed to the media that he paid Rs 1 lakh to Mathew and Rs 75,000 to Pathanamthitta CITU leader Akhil Sajeev. The payments were intended to secure a temporary job for his daughter-in-law, Dr. Nitha Raj, at the Ayush Kendra.