Kerala Congress Chief K Sudhakaran Gets Relief From High Court; Not To Be Arrested Till 21 June In Monson Mavunkal Fake Antiques Dealer Case

The Kerala High Court today (16 June) ordered the Crime Branch not to arrest Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief K Sudhakaran till 21 June, in connection with the cheating case against fake antiques dealer Monson Mavunkal.

The Crime Branch had asked him to appear before it on 23 June.

In his plea for anticipatory bail, Sudhakaran submitted that he was being summoned due to political pressure as the case was registered 19 months ago and he was not named in the First Information Statement (FIS).

The Director General of Prosecution said that Sudhakaran had no reason to be fearful if he was confident that he was innocent and he would be arrested if necessary.

In September 2021, the Crime Branch arrested Mavunkal for allegedly cheating people by selling fake antiques. Mavunkal reportedely duped his clients by boasting that his collection included a staff of Moses, two of the 30 silver coins taken by Judas and the throne of Tipu Sultan. Several influential persons, including politicians, film stars and top cops, are said to be victims of his fraud.

The Kerala Crime Branch Police began investigating the case after complainants alleged that Makunal, a fake antique dealer, defrauded them after convincing them that the central government had withheld his Rs 2.62 lakh crore raised by selling antiques to a royal family in the Middle East.

The complainants alleged that Mavunkal swindled Rs 10 crore from them on the pretext of eliminating regulatory hurdles to withdrawing his money from the bank.

The complainants also alleged that they handed over Rs 25 lakh to Mavunkal in the presence of Sudhakaran on November 22, 2018. The complainants said Mavunkal claimed to be a cosmetologist and even treated Sudhakaran. They alleged that Sudhakaran assured them that he would help Mavunkal clear the legal hurdles in withdrawing the money by exercising his influence as a member of parliament.

In September 2021, a photograph of Sudhakaran and KPCC vice-president Laly Vincent in conversation with Mavunkal went viral on social media.

While Sudhakaran admits to meeting Mavunkal on five occasions to seek treatment, he has denied having any financial dealings with Mavunkal.