Cheating in name of CM: Jeweller, six people held

KOCHI: Ernakulam central police on Wednesday arrested a jeweller and six others on charges of threatening and extorting money from a businesswoman hailing from Pachalam over a land deal.
The ‘goons’ employed by the jeweller had intimidated the woman and her family members claiming that they were close associates of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The arrested are Kamaludheen (43) of Ponekkara, Joshi (48) of Valappad in Thrissur, Siddique (35) alias Karukappilly Siddique of Elamkulam, Vincent (39) alias Vichandi of Elamakkara, Ajayakumar (44) of Kaloor, Niyas Asees (25) of Thalayolaparambu and Faisal (42) of Thammanam.
Police said Kamaludheen who runs Thanima Jewellery on Broadway had collected Rs 50 lakh as advance from the Pachalam native in September this year assuring to sell his five cent property, including a house for Rs 1 crore.
Kamaludheen had allowed the woman to pay the remaining amount in instalments. However, Kamaludheen and the ‘goons’ employed by him started threatening the woman three days after registration of the property.
“Kamaludheen, Siddique, Vincent, Ajayakumar, Niyas, Asees and Faisal had intimidated to eliminate the woman’s family after trespassing into her house and shop on Broadway demanding Rs 1.25 crore for the property. Kamaludheen also made the woman to re-register her eight cent property including a 4,000 sq ft house at Kakkanad into his name and forcibly took away blank cheques and income-tax related documents. The accused later pledged the woman’s Jaguar car to Valappad Joshi for Rs 30 lakh,” said the police.
According to cops, Joshi and his brother Rajesh forcibly collected Rs 6 lakh from the woman as interest towards Rs 30 lakh collected by Kamaludheen on different occasions. They also took away a luxury wrist watch of her husband.
“As per the woman’s complaint, the main accused Kamaludheen, his wife and others claimed that they were close to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Siddique, a local unit secretary of DYFI, used to claim that he was the friend of the accused people in a recent murder at Kalady and sensational Imtiaz murder case,” said the officer.
The accused were arrested after the woman filed a complaint with the state police chief.