KOCHI: With the rise in illegal moneylending activities after the lapse of Operation Kubera, Ernakulam range police revived the crackdown through a surprise drive code-named ‘Operation Shylock,’ registering 20 cases and seizing nearly Rs 39 lakh in a single day.
As part of the operation, a special squad led by Ernakulam Range DIG S Satheesh Bino, with the support of nearly 2,000 police personnel, carried out raids at 298 locations across Ernakulam Rural, Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Idukki districts.
“A renewed version of Operation Kubera was long overdue, and concerns have been mounting. At this stage, the Ernakulam range launched the surprise drive to curb illegal moneylending and exorbitant interest practices,” said a source with Ernakulam range office.
The secret drive began at 7 am on Tuesday and resulted in the registration of 20 cases under the Ernakulam Range. The drive continued until around 7 pm but was called off once details of the raid began to spread through various channels, said the officer. DIG Satheesh Bino said the drive was launched based on complaints received over the past three months, along with intelligence inputs.
“It was found that most of the suspects were running illegal moneylending activities secretly, often under the guise of other businesses. We could trace only a fraction of operations, while many others are still active,” said Satheesh Bino. Whenever we receive specific intelligence inputs or credible information, we will restart such operations, he said.
At first, we formed a special squad with a limited number of personnel to act on specific intelligence inputs. Later, we were compelled to deploy additional forces and strengthen the operation with support from local stations, he added.
In Ernakulam rural district, inspections were carried out at 40 locations across five subdivisions, covering 34 police stations, said a source with Ernakulam rural police.
Most of the seized items were linked to illegal moneylending practices, including vehicles pledged against loans and related documents, he said.
As part of the operation, 13 two-wheelers, three RC books, and `3,44,630 in cash were seized from Davis of Thettali of Sreemoolanagaram, who was later arrested by Nedumbassery police. Similarly, seven cars, 15 RC books, 13 stamp papers, and other related documents were seized by Aluva police which led to the arrest of Hameed of Kunnatheri.
In another instance, Ajay of Rayamangalam was arrested and 157 grams of gold and `40,150 in cash were recovered. In North Paravur, documents including Aadhaar cards, blank stamp papers, vehicle agreements, and RC books were seized, leading to the arrest of Shukkoor of Mullakkara, said the official.
Earlier, Operation Kubera, a statewide crackdown on illegal lenders, was launched in May 2014 by then home minister Ramesh Chennithala, following the suicide of a five-member family in Thiruvananthapuram due to threats from loan sharks.
Massive Drive
Total cases registered in
Ernakulam Range: 20
Cases registered in Kottayam: 7
Cases registered in Idukki: 5
Cases registered in Ekm Rural: 4
Cases registered in Alappuzha: 4
Seizures: I39 lakh, 26 vehicles (including 7 cars and 13 two-wheelers), 62 stamp papers, 8 promissory notes, 86 RC books, 17 Aadhaar cards, and several other documents.