The Crime Branch probing the cases against alleged conman Monson Mavunkal has recorded the statement of Anitha Pullayil who had functioned as the women’s global coordinator of the Pravasi Malayali Federation (PMF), of which Mavunkal was a patron.
Ms. Pullayil testified from Italy via videoconferencing on Wednesday. Though she had communicated with the investigators before, this was the first time that her statement was officially recorded.
Her name had found mention in the petition submitted by six persons to the Chief Minister about them being allegedly cheated of about ₹10 crore by Mavunkal. It had led to the arrest of the fake antiquities dealer on September 25.
“I had volunteered and told one of the petitioners, Shameer, that they could mention me in the petition as someone who had known Mavunkal and his dubious methods,” said Ms. Pullayil.
The Crime Branch sleuths asked her about her association with Mavunkal since the PMF had his house at Kaloor as its office for a while. According to her, she had visited the house a couple of times for organisational matters.
Ms. Pullayil told the Crime Branch that Mavunkal had launched a smear campaign against her after he reportedly came to know that she was talking to others about his suspicious credentials. “I had come to know about his dubious cash dealings. The nail on the coffin, however, was when a young girl and her mother approached me about her molestation by Mavunkal when she was a minor. Being the mother of a young girl, that was completely intolerable,” she said.
Ms. Pullayil alleged that Mavunkal’s smear campaign was part of a divisive ploy to turn the PMF against her. According to her, he also spread rumours about her in police circles, making it tough for her to approach the police.
The Crime Branch asked her about financial transactions, if any, with Mavunkal. She claimed that she had no such transactions.