The Centre has issued a look out notice against Jasmin Sha, national president of the United Nurses Association (UNA), and three others for an alleged Rs 3 crore financial fraud.
The lookout notice, which appeared in newspapers, has been issued after the Kerala Police Crime Branch made the request to the Centre after it appeared that the four accused were now in the Middle East.
He had earlier stated that he was abroad and would return after Onam holidays, which ended last Sunday. Now with the look out notice, he will be arrested from any airport in the country.
Besides him, the look out notice has been issued against UNA Kerala president Shoby Joseph, Jasmin's driver Nidhin Mohan and office staff Jithu PD.
The UNA, with a membership of over 10,000 registered nurses in Kerala, was set up in 2011. The UNA gained strength as it forced many private hospital managements to pay reasonable salaries to nurses.
In March, UNA vice-president Sibi Mukesh filed a complaint with the police chief alleging financial fraud by Jasmin and another office-bearer. Jasmin moved the Kerala High Court against the probe, but it refused to intervene.
Though he appeared before the probe team, he did not cooperate. As they did not appear for a few weeks despite notices, the Kerala Police approached the Centre for issue of the look out circular.
The Crime Branch of Kerala police, which is probing the financial fraud case, had earlier issued a look out notice against four of the office-bearers including national president Jasmin Sha.
The four office-bearers were booked by the Crime Branch as accused in the financial fraud case in June.
The accused have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
UNA is one of the largest associations of registered nurses in Kerala.