KOCHI: The vigilance and anti-corruption bureau has arrested two persons for allegedly attempting to swindle Rs 2 crore from a Kollam-based businessman by falsely claiming they could help him drop an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation against him.
The arrested have been identified as Wilson, a resident of Thammanam, and Mukesh Jain alias Murali, a native of Rajasthan who has been staying at an apartment on T D Road in Kochi. Wilson was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 2 lakh from the businessman at Panampilly Nagar. Mukesh was arrested later based on details provided by Wilson during questioning, vigilance sources said.
The vigilance suspects that Mukesh is connected to hawala operations. He was reportedly responsible for arranging bank accounts outside Kerala, where the businessman was instructed to deposit Rs 2 crore, split into four instalments of Rs 50 lakh each.
The businessman, engaged in the export of cashew to an African country, had allegedly suffered heavy financial losses during the pandemic after being defrauded by a foreign client. That led to an inquiry by the ED, during which he was summoned for questioning.
Vigilance officials said that Wilson had approached the businessman around the time and claimed he could use his contacts to help end the ED inquiry. He allegedly instructed the businessman to transfer the money to various bank accounts outside the state and later demanded Rs 2 lakh in cash.
The businessman, suspecting foul play, approached the vigilance department. Acting on their advice, he deposited Rs 50,000 into one of the identified accounts to help investigators track the movement of funds. Later, Wilson insisted that the payment be made in cash, leading to his arrest.
The two were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody. Mukesh’s wife had filed a missing complaint claiming that he could not be traced since Thursday.