Dummy duo lands in jail after cops step up the game in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When Gopakumar (name changed) found himself in a financial crunch, he decided like many people to sell his land in the city for an influx of money. He approached several real estate brokers, but when the efforts proved futile, Gopakumar placed a classified advertisement in the newspaper. This proved helpful. Within days, he received a call from a man who introduced himself as Joshi. The latter expressed interest in purchasing the land Gopakumar owned and requested for a meeting at the site. Believing the inquiry to be genuine, Gopakumar agreed to the meet and expressed his wish to complete the sale quickly due to his urgent financial need. The two decided on the next day to see the property in Aluva . Joshi, along with one of his friends, met Gopakumar the next day. However, the land deal didnt work out due to disagreements over the price, says an officer with Ernakulam Rural Police. Instead, Joshi revealed that he was also a property broker and lured Gopakumar with offers of large loans and promises of doubling his investment on a commission basis, taking advantage of his urgent need for money, the officer adds. After gaining Gopakumars trust, Joshi and his gang collected a total of Rs 15 lakh in cash from him. In return, they handed over Rs 30 lakh, which was later identified to be dummy notes used in film shoots. Based on a complaint filed by Gopakumar, the Ernakulam district police chief M Hemalatha ordered a detailed investigation to prevent more people from falling prey to the scam. In addition, a special investigation team was formed under Basil Thomas, SHO of Muvattupuzha police station. During the detailed investigation, which involved tracking mobile numbers, identifying linked individuals, and analysing related data, the SIT apprehended the prime accused, Joshi. His real name was found to be Mani. He is a native of Vazhoor, Kottayam. The second accused and Manis close accomplice, Sajith Kumar, had gone into hiding. However, the 50-year-old, who goes by the name Deepak in the crime network, was tracked down to his hideout in Thiruvananthapuram, following leads from his mobile phone and vehicle data, along with tip-offs. Sajith is a native of Chirayinkeezhu. Beyond the real estate fraud schemes, the accused were involved in various other scams, including nagamanickyam (mythical gemstone believed to come from a cobras head), iruthalamuri (two-headed snake), and palladium and iridium scams, says Basil. Mani is named in around 35 cases, while Sajith has multiple cases registered against him in the capital city, and Kollam and Ernakulam districts. Detailing the modus operandi, Basil explained that the fraudsters duped individuals by making friendly calls to those who advertised property for sale in the media. When visiting the site, they would avoid making a deal citing various reasons. Exploiting the victims urgency for money, the fraudsters claim that they have strong connections in the film industry and assert that many celebrities hold large sums of unaccounted money, which needed to be laundered. They would offer to arrange funds for the victim at a commission like Rs 15 lakh to secure Rs 1 crore. Once the victim agrees, the fraudsters arrive with a suitcase full of cash. Most of the bundles contained dummy notes, but not easily discernable. Hence many fall prey to it. But thanks to the police, both the accused have been caught. They are remanded in custody. Case diary This weekly column brings you exciting, intriguing police stories, straight fromthe crime files