Kerala agri loan fraud case: Fr Thomas Peelianickal booked for cheating

ALAPPUZHA: Fr. Thomas Peelianickal, executive director, Kuttanad Vikasana Samiti (KVS), has been booked by the police in the agri loan fraud case.

Five persons have been slapped with cheating charges so far following the complaint registered by the farmers in different parts of Kuttanad.

Ramankary police said that the case was registered under IPC sections 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).

Apart from Fr Peelianickal, cases were registered against Rojo Joseph, member, Veliyanad block panchayat, Thresya Alex, office assistant, KVS, Thomas Joseph, president, Karshakamithram self-help group, and secretary Devassya alias Saji.

All the accused have approached the court seeking anticipatory bail. The investigation team, which carried out a raid at the house of Thresya the other day, has moved the court against the bail plea.

Fr Peelianickal, who is currently hospitalised at Chethipuzha, was booked on a complaint filed by six persons of Mithrakary alleging that the KVS had helped them obtain an agriculture loan of '5.40 lakh from a bank. They had given '30,000 each to the KVS on the promise of giving it back at the time of loan repayment. The complainants alleged that the KVS office-bearers threatened them when they demanded the money back.

Fr. Peelianickal had refuted the allegations the other day saying that they had only recommended the joint liability groups to the banks and had nothing to do with the alleged fraud. “We only recommend the eligible farmer groups. Banks disburse loans directly to the account of these groups. If they failed to repay the loan, the bank would contact us. From our part, we urge the farmer group to repay the loan," he said.

Earlier, a Crime Branch probe was ordered based on complaints filed by three farmers from Kavalam alleging that the office-bearers of a “non-existent” farmer joint liability group had taken loans from the Canara Bank in their names without their knowledge. According to bank records, six farmers under the aegis of the Karshaka Mithra Nel Karshaka Joint Liability Group took loan of '5 lakh in November 2014. Following this, several people have come forward with allegations.