Kollam: Reports that a from a Thrissur-based non-banking finance company in Kerala have left residents of her hometown in disbelief. The accused, Dhanya Mohan, hails from Nellimukku in Kollam. Harris, the bakery owner near her house, recalls her as a person with calm and respectable behaviour.
According to him, Dhanya studied at St. Joseph’s English Medium School in the city. “After completing her software engineering studies, she moved to Thrissur with her family.
Her financial background seemed fine, and the house here is currently locked. She has three shops near the main road, which have been rented out,” he said. She visited the house a month ago and stayed for a few days, during which time she bought items from Harris’s bakery.
Harris recalls that Dhanya, known for her decent financial dealings, never asked for or took credit. According to neighbours, there is no information about her constructing a large house in the hometown. Neighbours are unaware of any land she might have purchased elsewhere.
She was regularly present in the hometown only until she was 21, they said. Meanwhile, Dhanya surrendered alone at the Kollam East police station on Friday evening. Dhanya was uncomfortable being kept for a long time at the woman’s station after her medical examination at the district hospital.
Many people, including relatives, gathered at the station upon hearing the news. When asked about the money, she pointed to a bag in her possession and said, "Here it is; take it." Dhanya also responded angrily to journalists.
When asked where all the money went, she replied that she had bought five cents of land on the moon. An initial investigation at the financial company revealed an embezzlement of Rs 80 lakh. Fearing action, Dhanya left the office, showing signs of discomfort, locked her house near the finance company in Valappad, which she bought six years ago, and left the area.
A detailed investigation revealed that Rs 19.94 crore had been embezzled. During a search of Dhanya’s house in Valappad, police seized a car, scooter, laptop, and ATM cards.
Steps have been taken to confiscate the house, suspected to have been purchased with the embezzled money. Police also found out that she owned four cars. It is learnt that Dhanya and her husband were planning to build a luxurious house in Kollam.
A lookout notice has been issued to prevent them from escaping abroad. The fraud involved transferring money online to her account and then to three accounts belonging to her father and two accounts belonging to her husband. She deleted related records.
Police maintained that Dhanya had been committing fraud for the past five years. The investigation is being led by a special squad of seven members, including Kodungallur DySP and Valappad SHO. Police said that Dhanya, her husband, mother, and father have turned off their mobile phones and are in hiding.
They added that the family members were aware of the fraud..
