K. Sudhakaran, president, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), on Thursday filed an anticipatory bail petition before the Kerala High Court in a cheating case involving fake antiquities dealer Monson Mavunkal.
In his petition, he said that there was no allegation against him in the first information statement recorded by the police. In fact it was after 19 months of registering the case that he had been asked to appear before the Crime Branch, based on a suspicion that he was allegedly involved in the case. The complaint was filed in 2018 and the case was registered in 2021. The ingredients for the offences charged against him had not been made out in the complaint.
He apprehends that issue of notice to him to appear before the police was a ploy to drag him into the controversy and tarnish his image. The petitioner was being targeted due to the acts of his political rivals.
He added that custodial interrogation was not necessary as there had been no substance in the allegations and “no culpable element” made out against him. He said that he would cooperate with the investigation and would not flee from justice.
The cheating case against Monson Mavunkal was registered on September 23, 2021, on a complaint by a person that he had been cheated to the tune of ₹10 crore. The complainant alleged that the accused had collected ₹10 crore from him and others with a promise to return it. However, the accused failed to return the amount.
