Pathanamthitta: The father of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Megha, who was found dead near a railway track in Kerala’s capital earlier this week, has alleged that she was financially exploited by a colleague with whom she was in a relationship. According to her father Madhusudhanan, Megha had even transferred her February salary to the man’s account, leaving with just Rs 80 in her bank at the time of death.

The colleague named Sukanth, an IB staff member at the agency’s Kochi office and resident of Edappal in Malappuram, is now under scrutiny following the father’s allegations.

Megha was working in the Emigration Department at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. While she never openly discussed her relationship with the family, her father said she had confided in her mother about it.

According to him, Megha’s relationship with her colleague began after they attended a training programme in Rajasthan last year. After her death, the family reviewed her financial records and found that she had been transferring her entire salary to him.

He recalled an incident where a toll payment notification from Kochi raised his suspicion, prompting him to question his daughter about her presence there.

“A few months after she joined, I purchased a car for her. One day I got a message on my mobile about a toll amount that was collected in Kochi. When I asked her why she was in Kochi, she told me about him,” he said.

Further scrutiny of her bank records revealed that Megha’s salary was regularly sent to Sukanth, while he occasionally transferred small amounts back to her.

“Her colleagues, who attended the funeral, informed us that Megha often skipped meals due to financial struggles. When asked, she would say that her money was sent to ‘family’. Lately, she had appeared gloomy and withdrawn,” her father added.

Based on these findings, they handed over the bank records to the Pettah Police who are investigating the case. The family has also handed over her laptop to the police as part of the ongoing investigation.

Following Megha’s death, her father had lodged a complaint with the Intelligence Bureau. 

According to available information, the accused officer has been removed from his post pending further inquiry.

Megha was found dead on the railway tracks near Chakka railway station around 9 am last week. The police have treated the case as a suicide, citing the statement of the loco pilot of the Pune-Kanyakumari train. The loco pilot had claimed that despite repeated warnings, a woman remained on the tracks before stepping in front of the train. However, the investigation is still in progress.

(With IANS inputs)