Dhanya Mohan, an assistant general manager and tech lead at Manappuram Comptech and Consultants Ltd (Macom), the IT product and services arm of Valapad, Thrissur-based Manappuram Finance, was taken into custody on Friday evening from Kollam. When the fraud was detected on Tuesday, Dhanya, a resident of Nellimukku in Kollam, absconded fearing arrest. She was arrested in Kollam on Friday evening and handed over to the cops from Valapad station, where a case was registered. The Valapad police reached Kollam on Thursday itself, anticipating that the accused might travel to her residence. Kodungallur DySP Salish N S said Dhanya made fake accounts and diverted funds as 'loans' from the company's digital personal loan account to her father and brother's accounts. She has been diverting the money to fund her online rummy addiction, besides her purchases of property and houses, he said. The embezzlement came under the police lens when Macom lodged a complaint against Dhanya on July 23 (Tuesday) for swindling Rs 85 lakh from the company through fraudulent activities. Following a thorough analysis of the accounts, the company realised that it was just the tip of the iceberg, and the total fraud amounted to Rs 19.94 crore committed over a period from May 2020. While the company maintained that it came to know about the fraud only now, it still remains a mystery as to how Dhanya managed to divert funds and escape scrutiny. The Kodungallur DySP said Dhanya was coming to the office until the case was registered on July 23. "Soon after she came to know about the case, she left the office citing health problems and did not respond to calls. Dhanya, along with her family, including husband Mohan and children, remained in hiding while the search was on for them," said DySP Salish. He added that the police have issued a lookout notice for Mohan, who used to work abroad and had recently returned to Kerala. It is learnt that Dhanya does not hold a passport. Rummy addict and luxurious lifestyle According to the police, Dhanya was addicted to online rummy games and spent a lot of money on it. They suspect that she turned to fraudulent activities in the company due to her losses in online rummy. The DySP said that she made fake accounts and diverted funds in the name of loans. "The exact way in which the transactions were carried out can be known only once we question the accused," he added. Dhanya also spent a fortune on buying a house and land at Valapad. She also seems to have bought three luxury cars, all of which were purchased in the last four years. The DySP added that Dhanya first made the fraudulent transaction in 2020 and it went up each year.