Solar scam: Saritha S. Nair arrested following court warrant

The Kasaba police on Thursday arrested Saritha S. Nair, the prime accused in the solar scam, following a warrant recently issued by the Kozhikode Judicial First-Class Magistrate Court. She was taken into custody from her house in Thiruvananthapuram in the morning.

District Police Chief (Kozhikode City) A.V. George said the arrest was recorded as the accused did not appear before the court for final hearing even after issuing multiple warrants. She would be produced before the magistrate soon, he said.

The allegation against her was that she cheated Kozhikode-based Industrialist Abdul Majeed and secured ₹42.7 lakh after promising him franchises in solar panel and windmill farm companies. It was the first cheating case registered in connection with the solar scam. Though the verdict of this case was expected on March 26, the court was adjourning it in the absence of the accused at the final hearing.

According to sources, there were attempts on her part along with Biju Radhakrishnan, the first accused in the case, for “out of court settlements” and escape from the legal proceedings. She had reportedly paid back a portion of the money she secured from the cheated industrialist.

There were also allegations against the police that they were deliberately delaying the arrest of Ms. Nair in many other similar cheating cases following the “out of court” settlement efforts on her part. She had also hesitated to secure anticipatory bail in such cases in the wake of such alleged settlement efforts.

It was in December 2013 that the chargesheet against the accused was submitted in the court. The trial began in 2016. They had also been tried in two other similar cases at the Magistrate’s court at Koyilandy and Vadakara.