'Judge' Jigesh caught; seven mobile phones, fake appointment order from UPSC and many more evidences seized

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Venjaramoodu police have arrested two accused in the case of swindling six lakh rupees from a housewife by disguising as a judge. Kannur native Jigesh KM(40) and Mannar native Sumesh (36) were arrested based on the complaint of a housewife from Venjaramoodu.

The police have also seized a luxury car, Rs 91,000, a laptop, a printer, seven mobile phones, and fake appointment orders in various institutions, including the UPSC, prepared for many people. Jigesh, who failed in class 10, used to stay in different places and convince the victims by using the national flag on expensive cars and sending photos of himself wearing a judge's uniform and board.

Fraud by promising to cancel bank loan

Jigesh had embezzled money from the housewife by promising to help her write off the loan arrears. The incidents related to the case began in June 2022. The complainant had taken a loan of Rs 10 lakh from the cooperative bank. The repayment of this was delayed. The bank also entered into foreclosure proceedings. The housewife's husband, who works in Oman, told this to a man named Shiju, a native of Muvattupuzha, with whom he works. As a solution to the problem, Shiju said that there was a judge in his acquaintance who was looking into the affairs of the bank from which the loan was taken and that if he was interested, he could arrange for that judge. Then, the husband called the housewife and informed her of the situation. In 2022, the housewife gave Jigesh Rs 1.5 lakh in front of a luxury hotel in Vempayam and Rs 4.5 lakh in three installments the next month. The housewife became suspicious when the bank went ahead with the seizure proceedings despite her having paid the money to the 'judge'. She tried to contact the accused but failed. She then filed a complaint with the police.

Trapped by the tower location

The police tried to contact the accused, but they were unsuccessful as the accused used different phones each time. Finally, the police got them on the phone, but the accused turned off the phone, realizing that it was the police. Then, the police conducted a search focusing on the mobile tower location and found that the accused was in the Alappuzha area and arrested the accused from Mannancherry, Alappuzha.

Several cases

It was found that the money seized was scammed from someone by the accused by issuing a fake appointment legal order to the Devaswom Board. Police said that similar fraud cases were registered against the accused in Kannur in 2014 and in Perumbavoor in 2018, as well as in Wayanad and Alappuzha.