Ex-KSEB assistant engineer and worked for Congress and BJP? Luckson Francis Augustine who contested British elections arrested in job fraud case

KOCHI: Ernakulam Town South police have arrested a British Malayali who had defrauded nine people of Rs 22 lakh by promising them jobs in Poland. The fraud was through a consulting firm in Britain. The arrested person is Luckson Francis Augustine (45), a native of Changanassery Kurichy. Luckson had contested the 2017 British parliamentary elections as an independent candidate and lost.

A case was registered in 2024 on the complaint of Ashwin Pathros, a resident of Panampilly Nagar. Luckson's fraud was based on the claim that his company - Zion Consulting Limited Europe and UK - in Britain, was conducting job recruitment in Poland. Believing this, Ashwin advertised through social media and friends. He took Rs 22 lakh from 9 people and gave it to Luckson. The transaction took place from January 1 to December 4, 2023. The people who paid the money complained to the police after not getting work or money.

Luckson resigned from his job and migrated to Britain with his family while working as a KSEB assistant engineer in Ettumanoor. He contested the 2017 elections from Wythenshawe-Sale East and lost to Mike Cain of the Labour Party. He was the director of Zion Mary International and C-2 Communications. He returned to Kerala after problems arose in financial transactions related to these companies.

Luckson has held office in the Congress and other parties. There are rumours that he recently joined the BJP after taking membership from Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The arrest was led by Ernakulam South CI PR Santhesh. He is an accused in a case of sexual harassment registered at the Ernakulam Town Police Station and a financial fraud case at the Ernakulam Central Police Station.