Kerala: Missing persons probe has school under lens

KOCHI: The officials probing  the mysterious disappearance of 21 persons from Kerala have also examined  the functioning of a school in Kochi in which Merin Jacob alias Mariyam, who has converted to Islam, allegedly worked as a teacher. Mariyam and her husband Yahya (Benston) are among the missing persons. The investigation team has collected the details about the school located at  Chakkarapparambu,  Kochi, as well as at a school at Thathappally near Paravur as Mariyam worked in both the schools. 

Mariyam  was  brought back to Kochi by her parents from Mumbai in 2014 after learning that she had converted to Islam. After reaching Kochi, she had joined  the school first at Chakkarapparambu and then later at the Thathappally school. Mr Mohammad Ameer, head operations of Peace International Schools run by Peace Educational Foundation,  claimed that such a person never worked in the schools under their management.

“She came for an interview but failed to report for duty on the joining date assigned to her. We don’t have any information about her after that,”  Mr. Ameer told DC over phone from Bengaluru. Out of the 12 schools run by Peace Educational Foundation,  10 are in Kerala while one each is in Mangaluru and Lakshadweep Island.

Although authorities connected with the Peace International Schools feigned ignorance about the missing persons,  the probe team is making a thorough examination of the financial transactions connected with the schools. Sources said the receipt of Rs 2 lakh into the accounts of the school from  Srinagar in August 2014  and Rs 1 lakh from Hyderabad in the same year is under the scanner of the probe team.