KOCHI: The police on Friday arrested three persons -- including a UDF councillor in Kochi corporation -- on charges of abduction and extortion. The arrested are Tibin Devassy, the councillor of Vathuruthy ward, Fayas of Kasargod, and Shameer of Kakkanad.
The case relating to the arrest was registered at the Elamakkara police station following a complaint lodged by a Kasaragod resident, Krishnamani, who is running a business in Kochi. The accused allegedly extorted Rs 2 lakh from Krishnamani’s father-in-law, besides forcibly securing an undertaking from him for Rs 20 lakh, on Thursday evening.
According to the police, a seven-member group led by Tibin and Fayas beat up Krishnamani at his office in Edappally. Later, they took him to a private hospital where the complainant’s father-in-law worked. There, the trader was beaten in front of his father-in-law. The attackers threatened Krishnamani’s father-in-law and forced him to transfer Rs 2 lakh from his account, an officer said.
The trio claimed that Fayas and Krishnamani were business partners in Qatar, the officer said. They alleged that Krishnamani took Rs 40 lakh from Fayas for a business purpose in 2017 but has not returned the money till date. Though Fayas asked for the money on several occasions, it was not returned. However, Krishnamani denied that he took money from Fayas. He complained that he had faced extortion attempts from Fayas and his friends earlier too.
Fayas had hired Tibin and the others to extort money from the trader. The police are also searching for the document in which Krishnamani was forced to give the undertaking to pay Rs 20 lakh. Tibin is also the Ernakulam district secretary of the Youth Congress.
The police have invoked charges of dacoity, kidnapping, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, house trespass, unlawful assembly, and rioting. Tibin was earlier arrested for allegedly destroying the SFI flag pole at the Law College in the city in January this year.