KOCHI: While the crime branch investigation into the half-price scam continues and key accused Ananthu Krishnan remains in custody, two more related cases were registered at the North Paravoor police station on Thursday.
The cases were registered following a court order based on complaints against two office-bearers of the Janaseva Samithi Trust of North Paravoor, that they deceived the complainants by offering two-wheelers at half the price.
Meanwhile, as per the records presented in the state legislative assembly, a total of 1,343 cases related to the half-price scam were registered as of March 12.
“The modus operandi of these cases appears similar to the half-price scam carried out under the pretext of utilising CSR funds by Ananthu Krishnan,” said a police officer at North Paravoor police station who requested anonymity.
The complainants alleged that they were misled by the office-bearers under the guise of a half-price two-wheeler scheme jointly promoted by the Janaseva Samithi Trust and the NGO Confederation. They paid a total of Rs 62,000, including Rs 60,000 as the consumer share and Rs 2,000 as handling charges, into the Janaseva Samithi Trust’s account, but never received the promised scooter or a refund, he said.
Shojo Varghese, the SHO of North Paravoor police station, said, “Our preliminary investigation indicates similarities with the ongoing half-price scam. The case was booked after the court endorsed their petitions.” We are considering referring the matter to the crime branch after a thorough evaluation, he said.
Crime branch SP M J Sojan confirmed that the new cases may also be transferred to the special investigation team. “These too seem connected to the larger half-price scam. If so, they will naturally fall under the crime branch’s purview,” he said. Commenting on the current status of the ongoing investigation into the half-price scam, he added that both Ananthu Krishnan and K N Anandakumar remain in judicial custody.