KPCC (Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee) president K Sudhakaran was arrested on Friday in connection with a cheating case, where fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal is the primary accused. The veteran Congress leader was questioned by the crime branch for nearly seven hours before his arrest. However, Sudhakaran is expected to be released on bail soon, based on a directive from the High Court.
The Kerala High Court had previously instructed Sudhakaran to appear before the Crime Branch on June 23, stating that if he is arrested in the cheating case, he should be released on bail upon furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 with two sureties of the same amount.
Sudhakaran complied with the court’s order and appeared before the Crime Branch on Friday morning. The decision to interrogate the KPCC president was made after the complainants in the cheating case claimed that they had handed over money to Mavunkal in the presence of Sudhakaran.
Earlier, the Crime Branch had submitted an additional report to the court, naming Sudhakaran as an accused in the case. However, when the allegations against him surfaced two years ago, Sudhakaran vehemently denied them.
The issue has sparked a political controversy, as images of Mavunkal with Sudhakaran have emerged. Sudhakaran explained that he had visited Mavunkal’s residence for treatment, as the latter claimed to be a trained cosmetologist.
Mavunkal, a native of Cherthala, is accused of making false representations about himself and his business to various individuals and collecting money from them. The Crime Branch had arrested Mavunkal in September 2021, and he is currently facing charges of swindling Rs 10 crore from several people.
During the course of the investigation, several images of Mavunkal with senior police officers and bureaucrats of the state have come to light, further intensifying the controversy surrounding the case.
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