Kerala Police arrest man for illegal gift coupon scheme offering house as prize

Kelakam (Kannur): Police in Kannur district have arrested Benny Thomas (67) of Adakkathode for printing and selling unauthorised gift coupons in an attempt to clear mounting debts, following a complaint from the Kerala State Lotteries Department. He was produced before the court and remanded to Thalassery sub-jail.

According to police, Benny had printed and sold gift coupons offering high-value prizes, including his 3,300 sq ft house as the first prize. He reportedly launched the scheme to avoid foreclosure of the property and raise funds for his wife’s cancer treatment. The offer was promoted widely on social media, along with additional incentive prizes.

Benny, who earlier ran a business in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reportedly suffered heavy financial losses during the COVID-19 lockdown. He was unable to repay the bank loans, leading to debts running into several million rupees. At the same time, his wife’s prolonged cancer treatment placed further financial strain on the family.

After failing to sell the house through conventional means, Benny allegedly conceived the idea of issuing gift coupons when the property was on the verge of being seized by the bank. Police said 10,000 coupons priced at ₹1,500 each were printed, with a draw initially scheduled for May this year. However, as ticket sales were insufficient to meet his financial needs, the draw was postponed.

Authorities said around 8,000 coupons were eventually sold, and the draw was rescheduled for last Saturday at the Adakkathode Church parish hall. Acting on a complaint, police conducted a raid at Benny’s residence a day earlier and seized the prize coupons and counterfoils of the sold tickets. He was arrested on Monday.

The prize list, according to police, included a used Thar jeep as the second prize, a used car as the third prize, and a Bullet motorcycle as the fourth prize.