Kochi: The Crime Branch will investigate the case in which crores of rupees were swindled by the prime accused, Ananthu Krishnan, by offering scooters to women at half price. Ananthu Krishnan was arrested by the police in connection with the case on Tuesday. More than 2,000 complaints have been reported against him from various districts. 

After receiving 1,200 complaints from Muvattupuzha, he was arrested. Following this, numerous victims from other areas in Ernakulam and other districts have come forward. It is believed that Ananthu carried out most of his scams in Ernakulam district, with over a thousand complaints coming from Paravur area alone.

As of now, the investigation is being led by the Muvattupuzha DySP. Due to the large-scale nature of the scam, the investigation is being transferred from the Muvattupuzha police to the Crime Branch. An official order in this regard will be issued soon.

At present, Ananthu Krishnan is in judicial custody. The police have filed a custody request, which will be considered by the Muvattupuzha Magistrate Court tomorrow. A five-day custody petition has been filed. Complaints have been received from various parts of the district regarding him. Ananthu carried out the scam by forming NGOs and involving people’s representatives.  

Laly Vincent denies involvement

Meanwhile, Congress leader Lali Vincent denied involvement in the scooter scam. In the case registered by Kannur Town Police, Laly Vincent is the seventh accused. Laly, who is also an advocate, had previously handled cases in which Ananthu Krishnan got involved. She said that all political parties were involved in the Socio-Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) society.  She also mentioned that she was unaware of Ananthu's political connections. Laly Vincent further clarified that she had previously handled cases related to Ananthu and most of those were cases in which Ananthu was cheated by others. 

“Over the past three years, Ananthu had asked me to prepare legal contracts in connection with various businesses including motor bikes, phones and laptops  with different companies”, she said. There were also contracts with over 75 NGOs. The Socio-Economic and Environmental Development Society, also known as SEED Kerala, operates across the state and has representatives from all political parties, including Congress and CPI(M), she said.   Laly further stated that she would be able to understand the complaints more clearly after further investigation.

Fraud carried out earning trust 

Meanwhile, it is emerging that Ananthu and his group carried out the scam by forming societies at the block level. Societies were formed in over 75 blocks and gathered people as members, collecting money for the scam. In addition to scooters, they offered solar panels, laptops, fertilisers, and sewing machines at half price. The scam was carried out under the name of the National NGO Confederation. Most of the victims were women.

The scam promised to provide a scooter worth ₹120,000 for ₹60,000. They influenced local ward members and created WhatsApp groups under the name SEED Society. To create trust, they even started a sewing cluster with the cooperation of the Kozhikode police at a welfare center. They also conducted school kit distributions in collaboration with the Kannur police.

Since Ananthu Krishnan’s arrest the previous day, the number of complaints from various districts has increased. The scale of the scam is expected to grow. More than ten NGOs have been affected by the scam, with two of them filing complaints with the police. As of now, 392 complaints have been received from Kannur, and 129 complaints from Idukki.

Ananthu Krishnan was previously arrested in 2019 for a scam in Idukki. After being released on bail, he resumed his fraudulent activities. Over the course of four years, he swindled several high-profile individuals, accumulating crores of rupees and leading a luxurious life.