Kochi: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday interrogated tourism director and former Ernakulam collector P.I. Sheik Pareeth in connection with the Kalamassery land fraud case.
“We’ve mainly sought details regarding his activities while he was serving as the Ernakulam collector. The attempt was to find out whether he aided any party in cancelling the ‘title regularisation’ with regard to the disputed property of N.A. Sheriffa,” said a CBI officer.
Mr Pareeth was questioned for over an hour by the Thiruvananthapuram unit led by Mr Jose Mohan, SP, Special Crime Branch, at the unit office.
Earlier on November 30, the CBI had questioned Mr T. O. Sooraj, former public works secretary, now under suspension in a disproportionate assets case.
The CBI had named S. Salim Raj, former personal security officer of Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, as one of the main accused in the criminal case relating to the alleged attempt to grab 12.27 acres of land in Kadakampally near Kalamassery in Ernakulam belonging to Sheriffa and sons.
Among the 26 other accused include Salim Raj’s wife Shamshad, an employee of the Land Revenue Commissioner’s office.
“The title regularisation was cancelled by the village officer concerned even while a case of dispute regarding the said land was pending before the civil court then.
The questioning was done to know about the activities and the involvement of higher-ups,” the officer said.
