THRISSUR: The bank accounts of Praveen Rana (37), who was arrested by the police in the investment fraud case of Rs 150 crore, were found empty. The police only managed to find one thousand rupees, six hard disks and a laptop when they arrested Praveen. The police are looking for the whereabouts of the swindled money.

The police believe that the hard disk seized from Praveen contains crucial information about his financial transactions. 31 cases have been registered against Praveen. He was charged with fraud and the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes. He will be produced in court on Friday morning.

CCTV footage revealed that on January 6, Praveen left his apartment in Chilavannur, Kochi, and headed to Angamaly in a luxury vehicle. After learning that the police were following this car, he called his relative in Thrissur over the phone and arranged for another car. He reached Tamil Nadu using this car. There were four persons, including Praveen, in the car.

Praveen also received help from his advocate in Kochi. He reached Coimbatore on 7th January. Their car was identified from the CCTV footage of Paliyekkara and Panniyankara toll plazas. Praveen's plan to enter other states failed as he had no cash with him. He stayed in a quarry in Devarayapuram ran on rent by Perumbavoor native Joy.

Called his wife on the phone, got trapped
Praveen was trapped by the police after he called his wife over the phone from the phone of a migrant worker. The phones of Praveen's family members were under the surveillance of the cyber cell. After identifying Praveen's location, the police soon reached the spot and surrounded the quarry. Although Praveen attempted to flee after spotting the cops, he was eventually caught by force. He had been living in the quarry under a different name after being disguised as a Swami. He was lying on a bed made of plastic yarn in a one-room house. The investigation was divided into two teams under the leadership of the City Police Commissioner.

Gave Rs 16 crore to friend
As per Praveen Rana's statement to the police, he had lent Rs 16 crore to his friend Shaukat. He also said that he had 50 cents of land in Palakkad. Police have found fraud worth Rs 150 crore in their preliminary investigation. All the cases except one are in Thrissur city limits. It is expected that more people will come up with complaints will following Praveen's arrest. The East Police registered the case at 11 pm yesterday. Praveen was then taken to the General Hospital for a medical examination.