In a sting operation that exposes a troubling intersection of deception and law enforcement, the Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has apprehended two men accused of orchestrating a Rs 2 crore extortion scheme, targeting a Kollam-based cashew exporter under the pretense of halting an ED probe.
A False Promise of Relief: The Lure of Quashing an ED Probe
The Kerala Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has arrested two individuals for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 2 crore from a Kollam-based businessman by falsely promising to “settle” an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation against him. The duo identified as Wilson, a resident of Thammanam, and Mukesh Jain alias Murali, originally from Rajasthan allegedly convinced the businessman that they had high-level connections capable of quashing the central agency’s scrutiny.
Wilson was caught red-handed in Panampilly Nagar while accepting Rs 2 lakh in cash, marking the culmination of a carefully orchestrated trap set by vigilance officers, following a formal complaint by the victim. Jain was arrested later after Wilson disclosed his involvement during interrogation.
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The Modus Operandi: Hawala Channels, Ghost Accounts, and a Calculated Trap
According to vigilance sources, the arrested duo targeted the businessman, who exports cashews to Africa and had recently come under ED investigation after being defrauded by a foreign client during the pandemic. Sensing his desperation, Wilson approached the businessman with an offer to “resolve” the investigation using supposed bureaucratic contacts.
He proposed a payment of Rs 2 crore, to be transferred in four instalments of Rs 50 lakh each into a series of bank accounts located outside Kerala arrangements allegedly coordinated by Jain, who is suspected of having links to hawala operations.
The businessman, alarmed by the demand and sensing a potential scam, contacted the Vigilance Bureau. Acting on their advice, he made a small test transfer of Rs 50,000 to one of the accounts provided by the accused, enabling investigators to trace the flow of funds.
As the pressure mounted, Wilson allegedly insisted on receiving the remaining payment in cash. This led to a meticulously planned sting operation that culminated in his arrest during the cash handover.
Fallout and Investigation: Custody, Claims, and a Missing Complaint
Following their arrests, both Wilson and Jain were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody. Interestingly, amid the crackdown, Jain’s wife lodged a missing person complaint, claiming her husband had not been reachable since Thursday just before his arrest.
Officials suspect that the extortion attempt may not have been a one-off scheme. With Jain’s suspected links to hawala networks and money laundering routes, a broader investigation has been launched to determine if other businessmen facing central agency scrutiny were similarly targeted by the duo or their associates.
Meanwhile, vigilance officers have also begun tracking the bank accounts used in the alleged scam, examining whether they were part of a larger syndicate involving fake identities and layered financial trails a hallmark of hawala operations.
