Ernakulam: S Surendran, a former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), was seized on Saturday by the Crime Branch in connection with a fraud case involving the phoney antique merchant Monson Mavunkal. Surendran willingly came to the district crime branch office for questioning and was arrested at 9 p.m. the same day. However, due to the High Court’s award of provisional anticipatory bail, he was released after posting a bond of ₹50,000 and submitting two sureties of the same amount.
The complainants in the case claimed that they gave ₹25 lakhs to Monson Mavunkal at Surendran’s home when he was DIG in Thrissur. According to the complainants’ allegations, the payment was made based on guarantees given by KPCC president K Sudhakaran, Inspector General of Police Lakshman, and Surendran himself. Surendran was seen partaking in several activities at Monson Mavunkal’s residence, according to the Crime Branch.
Following that, K Sudhakaran, the second accused in the case, was detained and later freed on bail. While the Crime Branch is scheduled to question IG Lakshman, another accused, in the coming days, the IG has petitioned the Kerala High Court to quash the FIR filed against him in the cheating case. The senior police officer stated in his plea that he was charged as an accused despite the lack of any incriminating proof.
Interestingly, the accused, IG Lakshman, raised serious allegations against the Chief Minister’s office. He claimed that the office operates as a covert group, wielding an unprecedented centre of power with an authoritarian governance structure. Lakshman exposed financial irregularities and other questionable activities carried out by the Chief Minister’s office. He further accused the CPI (M) office of being instrumental in his inclusion in the Monson Mavunkal case. Consequently, he sought the High Court’s intervention to nullify the actions taken against him, insisting that the decision should be reversed.
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