KOCHI: A detailed probe is on how a foreign bank’s document was forged by Monson Mavunkal who was arrested for financial fraud to the tune of `10 crore and to trace the other persons behind the forgery, investigation officials have said. Monson, who was remanded in police custody for three days on Tuesday, presented copies of the forged account statement of HSBC Bank that was purportedly issued on July 5, 2010 to the complainants. The statement of the joint account of Monson Chacko and V J Patel, said to be a partner of the former, was shown to win the trust of the complainants.
“The digital evidence we have collected should be evaluated. Apart from the bank document, he had also forged an order of the special tribunal, based in Mumbai, which handles violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) cases. Besides, the source of the forged items also has to be traced,” said an officer.
Several digital equipment such as three mobile phones, a smartwatch and iPad were seized from Monson. These devices, e-mails and WhatsApp messages of Monson would also be examined, said the officer. A business deal worth Rs 1.5 crore struck with five persons in June 2017 ballooned to as high as Rs 10 crore as he stitched several deals into it until November 2020. After discrepancies under FEMA were found in the transaction of Rs 2.62 lakh crore he had received, the amount was frozen by the Union finance ministry, Monson told the complainants.
To retrieve it legally, he required money, he convinced them and offered business partnerships once he received the frozen money. He cited his high-level connections and showed photos with top police officials, civil service officers and politicians. Besides, some of the transactions with complainants were made in the presence of police officers and political leaders.
BAIL PLEA REJECTED
The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Tuesday rejected Monson’s bail plea. The court granted the crime branch three days of Monson’s custody. As he experienced a variation in his blood pressure, the court directed the police to carry out a medical examination every 48 hours. The custody will end on 4.30pm on Thursday.