HC orders probe by senior cop into Kochi job fraud charge

Kochi: The Kerala high court has directed that a senior police officer, above the rank of station house officer (SHO), be deputed to investigate the case in which Genius Overseas and Consulting Agency, based at Palarivattom, Ernakulam, allegedly defrauded jobseekers of large sums of money by offering employment opportunities abroad.

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan issued the order in response to a petition filed by Libin M Ali of Ernakulam, seeking a comprehensive and time-bound investigation by the crime branch or a special investigation team.

The petitioner alleged that he, along with 78 other job aspirants, was defrauded of over Rs 5 crore by the agency, promising overseas employment. He expressed dissatisfaction with the ongoing investigation by the Palarivattom police.

The public prosecutor submitted that the probe was proceeding smoothly, noting that the first accused was already arrested and the relevant bank accounts were frozen. However, the petitioner countered this by pointing out that six other accused persons were yet to be apprehended.. TNN