KOCHI: The financial transactions pertaining to Cocon — the international cyber security conference hosted by the Kerala Police — has come under the scanner after Thrikkakara MLA P T Thomas demanded an inquiry into how conman Monson Mavunkal and Italy-based Anitha Pullayil became associated with the event attended by senior officers of various national agencies, including the National Technical Research Organisation.
Amid allegations that Monson had funded the conference to strengthen his links with a few senior police officers, a Crime Branch team has started collecting details on Monson’s association with Cocon, which was held in Kochi in 2019. “It’s imperative that the government conducts a detailed probe on Monson’s association with Cocon. I have made a submission in this regard in the assembly,” Thomas said.
Though there were complaints on the police raising funds from private parties for the conduct of Cocon, it was hushed up by senior officers to avoid embarrassment to the police department. The intelligence wing had also warned the police higher-ups about the shady collection and diversion of funds in connection with the conduct of an earlier edition of the cyber security conference.
“Many officers had raised objections to the manner in which fund was collected from private parties as sponsorship for organising Cocon in the past few years as a gala event with cultural programmes,” said a senior officer. Anitha Pullayil had told TNIE that she became associated with Cocon after she was given the task of coordinating the cultural programmes as part of the conference.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the Ernakulam rural unit of the Kerala Police Officers Association passed a resolution taking a dig at the links of a few police officers with Monson. The resolution called upon officers to remain alert of fraudsters trying to befriend them.
TV Samskara case: Crime Branch gets Monson’s custody
T’Puram: The Crime Branch Thiruvananthapuram unit has taken Monson Mavunkal into custody in connection with a case pertaining to defrauding investors after posing as chairman of television channel TV Samskara. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, Kochi, had given Crime Branch three-day custody of Monson. Babu Madhav, MD of Signature Media Pvt Ltd, had filed the complaint against Monson on June 18 last year before then state police chief Loknath Behera. Babu alleged that impersonating as the MD, Monson fleeced investors off I1.5 crore by selling the channel’s shares.
Bail plea dismissed
Kochi: A magistrate court here on Friday dismissed the bail petition filed by Monson for cheating Kozhikode natives of over I10 crore. The court while dismissing the bail plea found that if the accused was released on bail now, it would affect the investigation. Monson’s counsel submitted that it was a fake case.