An internal inquiry by the bank found that Saritha had withdrawn money from the accounts of seven other senior citizens, in addition to Pappachan.
Published Aug 09, 2024 | 11:47 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 09, 2024 | 11:47 AM
Bank manager Saritha plots the murder of depositor Pappachan. (Supplied)
What was considered to be a hit-and-run accident, turned out to be a murder in Kerala’s Kollam. On Thursday, 8 August, in a shocking turn of events, Kerala police arrested a private bank manager Saritha for allegedly plotting the murder of an 82-year-old depositor, C Pappachan.
Pappachan, a retired BSNL employee met with an accident on 23 May near Ashramam Ground in Kollam. The accident was first considered to be a hit-and-run case, however, following the complaint of the victim’s children, who suspected foul play, a sinister plot was revealed.
The police investigation revealed that bank manager Saritha, along with another bank employee and a few others planned the murder, as depositor Pappachan had questioned Saritha about unauthorized withdrawals of lakhs from his deposit.
Police said Saritha, aware of Pappachan’s strained relationship with his family, attempted to exploit the situation to gain control over his deposits. Pappachan, who had multiple deposits across various banks, had withdrawn them and deposited the funds into the private bank at Saritha’s insistence.
In a disturbing twist, it was revealed that Saritha, along with another bank employee, Anoop, had been planning the financial fraud and murder for a long time. The police stated that there were earlier attempts to kill Pappachan, made to look like road accidents, but they were unsuccessful.
However, on 23 May, Pappachan was invited to have tea with Saritha. Co-accused Anoop had informed him about the meeting.
According to the police, as Pappachan was on his way on his bicycle, he was greeted by Anoop who was travelling on a motorcycle in the same direction greeted him. Simultaneously, Anoop also gave a signal to another accused Animon who was waiting there with a car to hit Pappachan. As soon as he got the signal, Animon rammed into the bicycle.
Pappachan was rushed to a hospital but breathed his last on the next day, 24 May.
Furthermore, an internal inquiry by the bank found that Saritha had withdrawn money from the accounts of seven other senior citizens, in addition to Pappachan. Pappachan’s complaint with the bank prompted the internal inquiry.
The police have so far arrested five individuals in connection with the incident—Saritha, Anoop, Animon, Hashif, and Mahin. The investigation is ongoing, and the police are working to uncover the full extent of the fraud and the involvement of other individuals.
Meanwhile, the community is left to ponder the tragic loss of life and the importance of vigilance in protecting the vulnerable, especially senior citizens.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Dileep V Kumar.)
