Now that Shobhana has been caught out, she may have to confess or make herself available for custodial interrogation.
Shobhana and her personal assistant, along with two journalists, fabricated an intelligence document, recommending a probe into Thomas’ supposed links to a Rs 336-crore hawala operation. The Malayalam channel, Surya TV, flashed the document and for a few hours, it seemed the minister’s goose had been cooked. But chief minister A.K. Antony smelt a rat and ordered a crime branch probe.
A special team zeroed in on Shobhana George and her two associates who had called up Surya TV a day prior to the telecast. It was soon discovered that one of the trio, who had posed as an intelligence dsp, had passed on ‘information’ about the document to Surya reporter Anil Nambiar. The journalist was the first to be arrested and Shobhana is likely to be picked up for questioning soon.
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The MLA’s motive remains a mystery. But it’s certain she acted at someone’s behest. Antony has given a written order to the police, asking them to go strictly by the book. Even Opposition leader V.S. Achuthanandan has pooh-poohed Shobhana’s allegation of police harassment.