KOCHI: A Kerala-born British citizen, Luckson Francis, who was accused of raping a 42-year-old woman and was declared a ‘wanted criminal’, has landed in police custody. His luck ran out on Saturday as a team of officers with the Kochi City police picking him up from his house at Changanassery. He was brought to Kochi by evening.
Luckson was in the news after he was involved in an overseas job fraud in which he had siphoned off lakhs of rupees from job aspirants after offering them jobs in the UK. On July 10, the Central police registered a case under the Emigration Act after the Protector of Emigrants (PoE) lodged a complaint against him for illegal overseas recruitment. However, Luckson evaded arrest flaunting his strong connections with police higher-ups and political leaders.
The police said he has currently been arrested in the rape case registered against him at the North police station on May 4. “We will record the arrest of Luckson in the job fraud case soon. He has been remanded in judicial custody,” said A Vijay Shankar, SHO Central Police.
Luckson had allegedly raped the woman after promising to marry her. Besides, he also threatened to defame her by publishing her nude photographs on social media. The woman has said in her statement that the accused siphoned off Rs 12 lakh from her.
Luckson got acquainted with her through a matrimonial site in September 2018, after the woman posted an advertisement seeking an alliance. While the woman was divorced 10 years ago and has a 22-year-old daughter from her first marriage, the accused told her that he was a businessman and a divorce case with his wife in London was pending before the court. A formal engagement was also held in October 2018.
After the engagement, the accused reportedly convinced her to stay with him and even took her to his house at Changanassery, where his mother stayed. He also introduced her as his fiancée to prominent personalities, she said in her statement. He then went on to force himself on her and rape her, she complained. She said he took her photos without her consent and attempted to blackmail her. After Luckson formally received a divorce from his first wife, he retracted from his promise of marriage.