Crores worth fraud in Messi’s name; 20-hour raid ends, documents, memory cards taken into custody

KOCHI: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) seized several documents from Reporter Broadcasting Company in Kalamassery in the case alleging crores-worth financial fraud in the name of football legend Lionel Messi. Memory cards and documents related to the Kaloor Stadium were also taken into police custody. 6300 US dollars were also seized during the 20-hour long raid.

The searches were conducted simultaneously at the Kochi flats of the Augustine brothers, the office of the advertising company GOTAD, and their ancestral house in Wayanad. Managing editor Anto Augustine is the first accused, while Reporter Broadcasting Company is the second accused. The charges include cheating, fraud and conspiracy. The case was registered based on a complaint filed by P Vikraman, a member of the SIT, following a preliminary investigation.

The raid was conducted by a team led by Thrikkakara Assistant Police Commissioner Binoy Chandran, who is also an officer in the SIT headed by ADGP P Vijayan. When Binoy Chandran’s team arrived at the channel office, other teams simultaneously conducted searches at the flats and the advertising company.

The FIR says that Anto and others had been conspiring since December 2024. They allegedly inserted fraudulent and illegal clauses into an agreement made with the Argentine Football Association, thereby deceiving the government and others and obtaining unlawful financial gains, among other offences.