Kerala: Cop remembers witch hunt by Muttil tree felling case accused

Express News Service
KOZHIKODE: They led a witch hunt towards me. Threatened to finish my profession. I used to be subjected to a department-level probe. I had gone by sleepless nights and psychological agony,” recalled a police officer who had arrested Anto Augustine and Josekutty Augustine–the accused in Muttil tree felling case–in a monetary fraud case 5 years in the past. 

The brothers had been arrested on February 29, 2016 from a lodge in Kochi hours earlier than the launch of their much-hyped Mango cellphone. 

“They were arrested on a complaint of financial fraud filed by Bank of Baroda in Kalamessery police station. The complaint was that the Augustine brothers had taken a loan of more than Rs 11 crore from the bank after mortgaging a property. But the loan was not repaid and the said property was already mortgaged with another bank. Documents were forged for the purpose. There was a warrant issued against the brothers,” the officer, who requested anonymity, advised The New Indian Express. 

But after the arrest, the cop had a harrowing time. Besides threatening to finish his service within the police division, the brothers additionally submitted a pretend grievance to the police higher-ups. “The complaint was that I took a bribe from Samsung to destroy mPhone, which was touted as Kerala’s response to the iPhone. The police intelligence wing initiated a probe against me. I had sleepless nights and went through mental trauma. I could withstand the money and political power of the Augustine brothers only because I am a cop,” the officer mentioned. 

The department-level probe didn’t discover any advantage within the grievance towards the officer. Roji Augustine, one other of the Augustine brothers, who’s the important thing accused in Muttil tree felling was the chairman of mPhone Electronics and Technologies Private Limited. 

After coming to know that Augustine brothers are the important thing accused within the tree felling case, the police officer collected the quantity and rang up one of many divisional forest officers, towards whom Roji Augustine had hurled a bribery cost and later retracted it. “I want to give him moral support. I know it’s difficult to withstand the pressure of these influential people. I spoke to the DFO and expressed my solidarity with him.” 

When TNIE contacted Anto Augustine, he replied that he had been admitted within the ICU after testing Covid optimistic and would get again later.