Kerala Solar scam: Former probe official found dead on railway track

Thiruvananthapuram, April 29 (IANS) The Solar scam that jeopardised the political career of the then Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, appears to have claimed its first victim with the former probe official in the case found dead near a railway track near Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district early Saturday.

A suicide note has reportedly been recovered from his car, parked near the body.

The police official - K.Harikrishnan was a DYSP. Even though another police official was probing the case, it was Harikrishnan who had arrested the prime accused in the scam - Saritha Nair soon after the scam surfaced in June 2013.

According to the grapevine, the now-deceased was able to garner enough evidence, especially pertaining to Saritha, which eventually led to the downfall of the Congress-led UDF.

Harikrishnan, who later retired from service, had a few Vigilance cases against him after it was found he had allegedly acquired assets which were in excess of his known sources of income.

Of late, he was found to be under mental duress.

A case of unnatural death has been registered and a probe initiated.

Notably, the scam pertained to Saritha and her live-in partner who were engaged in selling solar panels and had collected huge sums of money from prospective investors and it turned sour for Chandy, after three of his staff members were understood to be close to her.

The then CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition V.S.Achuthanandan led a massive protest that went on for a few years. Though Chandy's name was cleared, Vijayan emerged victorious in the 2016 Assembly polls and went on to become the Chief Minister.