Kochi : A 52-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding home-seekers out of lakhs by falsely offering houses on mortgage.
He then collected substantial sums, often ranging up to Rs 10 lakh, as an advance from the victims, police said. Two held for attempt to loot ATM: Two men were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to rob a local bank’s ATM on Sept 23, causing roughly Rs 2 lakh in damage. The accused are Noor Ameen, 26, of Assam and Bijay Sarkar, 22, of West Bengal. Pradeep Kumar, 22, and Sathyam Kanojia, 24, both from Uttar Pradesh, were employed by the company engaged in widening the NH stretch. Man held for overseas job scam: Perumbavoor Police on Tuesday arrested a 38-year-old serial fraudster wanted in around 25 overseas job scam cases across Kerala. Police said the carriage had been parked at the yard since 2024, awaiting scrapping.
Because the body had been there for over a month, officers could not immediately determine the person’s identity or gender. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news.
Police said their tractor, which was hauling an air compressor towards Thalakode, collided with the car at Villanchira, trapping both men underneath. Albin routinely duped victims with false promises of European work visas, police said. Subhash Chandran, of Eriyad, Thrissur, was apprehended in a joint operation by Cheranalloor police and the investigation team of the Ernakulam Central assistant commissioner. The accused used social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, along with the classifieds portal OLX, to post advertisements offering residential properties for mortgage. When interested buyers responded, he showed them various houses, falsely claiming ownership over the properties. Chandran would initially approach property owners under the guise of a real estate broker, offering to find suitable tenants for lease. After collecting large mortgage sums from victims, he paid property owners the first three months of rent to execute a lease agreement, keeping the remaining money. The actual house owners were kept entirely unaware that their properties had been fraudulently offered on a mortgage basis instead of a standard rental agreement. The scam came to light when house owners stopped receiving monthly rent and approached the occupants directly to investigate. Wearing helmets and raincoats, the duo rode a two-wheeler to the kiosk early in the morning and smashed the cash dispenser. However, they were unable to reach the money and fled empty-handed. Officers tracked down and detained them in Karimugal, seizing the scooter. They face charges of attempted theft and destruction of property. Firefighters and locals took the workers out of the wreckage. They were rushed to Kothamangalam taluk hospital, where doctors declared them dead. Albin P James of Kozhikode was tracked down using his mobile tower location after he went into hiding. His arrest follows a complaint by two residents who claimed they paid him money expecting jobs in Germany and Ireland. Officers are now checking if he had accomplices or defrauded additional job seekers. Decomposed body found: A decomposed body was discovered inside an abandoned train carriage at Ponnurunni railway yard. The remains were taken to Ernakulam General Hospital for an autopsy to determine how the person died. Investigators are reviewing nearby security camera footage as part of the inquiry. Download the TOI App.
Two killed in accident: Two construction workers were killed on Tuesday when their tractor overturned after crashing into an oncoming car along Kochi-Dhanushkodi NH near Neriamangalam. Railway workers spotted the remains on Tuesday and alerted authorities.