Fake certificate row: Police arrest former SFI leader Nikhil Thomas’ aide; Vidya gets interim bail

This is the second case against Vidya. The Agali police earlier arrested her on a similar charge. She was granted bail by the District Munsiff Court in Palakkad.

Nikhil, Abin charged with forgery 

Kayamkulam DySP Ajaynath, who is probing the case, told South First that Raj helped Thomas obtain a fake certificate through an Ernakulam-based private agency.

“Abin Raj is Nikhil’s friend who helped him get the fake certificate through an agency based in Ernakulam. Thomas submitted a fake degree certificate from the Kalinga University based in Raipur in Chhattisgarh to secure a seat in the MSM College’s MCom programme. He had not passed BCom,” noted the cops.

They said Raj came to Kerala after his family members asked him to do so.

“Abin Raj worked as a teacher in the Maldives and helped Nikhil get the fake certificate through an agency based in Ernakulam. The agency is no longer functioning. We are searching for its absconding owner,” said Ajaynath.

A court on Saturday granted the police seven-day custody of Thomas.

Also read: Kerala police confirm former SFI leader Vidya forged document

Interim bail for Vidya 

Days after receiving bail from the Palakkad Munsiff Court, Vidya received bail again from Hosdurg court in a case registered by the Nileshwaram police.

She allegedly submitted a fake experience certificate to secure employment as a guest faculty at the Government Arts and Science College at Karindalam in Kasaragod.

On Tuesday evening, after recording her statement, Vidya was produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate at Hosdurg in Kasaragod.

The court granted her interim bail and directed her to appear before it on Friday, 30 June.

“We had given notice to Vidya to appear at the police station. She arrived at the station in the morning and we recorded her statement. We have also recorded a sample of Vidya’s handwriting and signature as she had submitted a self-attested copy of the certificate to the college,” Nileswaram Station House Officer (SHO) K Prem Sadan told South First.

The police also recorded the statement of the Karindalam college principal on Tuesday. Earlier, the cops searched Vidya’s house but could not find any evidence.

“Vidya said she forged the certificate herself on a phone that she has lost. Her version is that she used scanning apps to create the certificate with her phone, changed the document to the PDF format, and printed the certificate,” the officer said.

A phone Vidya was using until recently has been confiscated by the Agali police.

The SHO also said that his team would crosscheck the evidence in the possession of Agali police and submit them to the court.

“We have invoked IPC Sections 420, 465, 468, 471 and added section 201 of the IPC for causing the disappearance of evidence,” Sadan added.

Also read: Police nab former SFI leader Thomas in Kottayam