Complaints continued to pour in from across the State in the alleged CSR funds scam case even as the Ernakulam rural police received five days’ custody of Ananthu Krishnan, the key accused on Thursday.
Helpdesks have been formed at the North Paravur and Kunnathunadu police stations to handle petitions related to the alleged scam. The North Paravur police were verifying 37 petitions it had received in this regard.
The Kunnathunadu police have registered a case against the accused on a complaint from a charity organisation, Warrior Foundation, for allegedly cheating 130 people by not delivering the two-wheelers as promised. The petitioner claimed to have handed over money to the National NGO Confederation of Mr. Krishnan for the delivery of two-wheelers to 140 people. However, only 10 vehicles were delivered, according to the complaint.
The Nadakkavu police in Kozhikode have booked a case on a complaint from Aware, an NGO, which allegedly lost about ₹75 lakh in the scam. The organisation said it had credited the money collected from various persons to the account of National NGO Confederation. It is estimated that around 1,300 people have lost their money in the district.
Mr. Krishnan will be questioned to identify the money trail and also the involvement of others in the alleged scam, the police said.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party State vice-president A.N. Radhakrishnan has denied that the Kochi-based Society for Integrated Growth of the Nation (SIGN) headed by him had any links to the alleged scam.
SIGN is not a member of the NGO Confederation but an implementing agency, which was also cheated by the accused. The money collected from those who booked the two-wheelers was handed over to the federation. K.N Anandakumar of Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, Kerala, introduced him to Mr. Krishnan, he claimed.
Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court on Thursday directed the police not to arrest Congress leader Laly Vincent, the seventh accused in the case, till February 17 on her anticipatory bail petition.
Ms. Vincent contended that she was a lawyer who offered advice to her clients. Mr. Krishnan was given legal advice in civil matters and for preparing contracts between companies, she contended.
She argued that she had acted in her capacity as the legal advisor of Mr. Krishnan, the first accused.
The Congress leader contended that she was falsely implicated in the case. She alleged that the police were trying to tarnish her image by falsely implicating her in the case due to political reasons.
Published – February 06, 2025 08:31 pm IST