KOCHI: Two persons were arrested in Kochi on Friday in connection with an alleged large-scale cheating case related to apartment construction projects, with police saying the magnitude of the fraud may be nearly `10 crore across the state.
The recent arrests were made in connection with a complaint filed by an Edappally resident, Abdul Nisthar, police said. The arrested have been identified as Leo George and Krishnaprased, while another accused, K G Sharath, is absconding.
According to police, more than 35 complaints have been lodged against the accused at various police stations in Kerala, indicating a wider pattern of alleged fraud in construction agreements.
The case was registered based on Nisthar’s complaint from Mamangalam, Edappally. He alleged that the accused had agreed to construct six flats in a three-storey building on 4.3 cents of land at Thengode for `70 lakh within one year, in the names of his sons Shobin and Sherin.
Police said the complainant paid `40.67 lakh, but construction worth only `18.51 lakh was completed, causing a loss of `22.15 lakh.
Similar complaints have been registered in North Paravoor, Mulanthuruthy and Angamaly in Ernakulam district, Poozhiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram, Mararikulam in Alappuzha, and Ollur in Thrissur. A crime branch case is also pending.
Investigators said the accused allegedly collected around 75% of the contract amount in advance, started construction, and later either stalled or slowed down progress.