Another woman employee on Thursday registered a sexual assault complaint against self-styled antique collector Monson Mavunkal, accused of multi-crore fraud and raping a minor.
The special investigation team (SIT) probing cases against Mavunkal said the team will file a fresh case against him in the matter after recording the victim’s statement before a magistrate.
On October 19, Mavunkal was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for allegedly raping the daughter of one of his employees two years ago. Later his make-up man was also arrested under Pocso after recording her statement.
The latest victim said Mavunkal sexually abused her for many months and was scared to file a complaint as many police officers frequented his house, which was also a clinic and museum in Kochi. The SIT suspects many such complaints are likely to surface in the coming days.
During the investigation, the SIT also found that some of Mavunkal’s clients were given “special massage”, which he used to discreetly film. He allegedly used some of his female and male employees for this, the SIT said. Mavunkal, who claims to possess “rare and timeless antiques”, was arrested on September 26 for selling fake artefacts and cheating.
After his arrest, details of apathy and collusion came to light as many top police officers were reportedly close to Mavunkal. His free run got cut short after five businessmen complained to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan of cheating worth ₹10 crores by Mavunkal, who promised shares in his upcoming international antique museums in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Later, many other businessmen also filed cheating complaints against him.
The government constituted the SIT, which also recorded the statement of an Italy-based Malayali woman Anitha Pullayil, who alleged to have introduced many senior police officers to Mavunkal. He allegedly used his connections with the officers to cheat and intimidate gullible antique buyers.
Mavunkal has claimed that antiques in his possession included the staff of Moses, a piece of fabric from a garment worn by Jesus, and “Dahi handi” of Lord Krishna. Pullayil has now sought to distance herself from him. She told news channels that she had advised those cheated by him to approach the police. Pullayil added that she was unaware of his shady deals and started avoiding him after she got an inkling regarding some of them. Many police officers regularly visited his house-cum-cosmetology clinic in Kochi that he ran based on a fake degree.
Meanwhile, the High Court on Wednesday granted more time to state police chief Anil Kant to furnish details of alleged links of top police officials with the conman. While hearing a plea last month, the court had asked many questions to the DGP, including why police gave protection to Mavunkal.
