THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Crime Branch took K N Anandakumar, one of the accused in the multi-crore half-price scam, into custody on Tuesday after his bail plea was rejected by the Thiruvananthapuram Sessions Court.

Anandakumar, who is suspected to have played a major role in the financial fraud, was taken to the Crime Branch office in Pettah for questioning.

The investigation is being led by DySP Binu of the special investigation team. However, shortly after he was taken into custody, Anandakumar reportedly felt uneasy and was shifted to Cosmo Hospital for treatment.

The crime branch officials have said that the course of the investigation will be determined based on his health condition.

According to officials, Anandakumar will first be taken to Ernakulam, where multiple cases have been registered against him. Given that the scam spanned multiple districts, crime branch units across the state will collaborate to collect information.

Officials have hinted that the accused may be taken to various districts, wherever cases against him have been registered, in the coming days.

The investigation team has gathered evidence suggesting Anandakumar’s involvement in the scam and said that the scam was not limited to the prime accused, Ananthukrishnan, but involved a larger network.

Anandakumar is believed to have had a major role in the operation through his organisation, Saigramam Charitable Trust, which is now under the scanner.

Ananthukrishnan, the prime accused in the scam, had previously said that he received a commission of Rs 7.5 crore from the scam, part of which was allegedly used to purchase land in Idukki.

The Crime Branch is now trying to trace the remaining portion of the Rs 1,000 crore scam and establish Anandakumar’s role in the fund diversion.

Anandakumar has maintained that all financial transactions were carried out for the trust and not for his personal gain.