Petitioners demand CBI probe on fake-antique dealer Mavunkal

Thiruvananthapuram: Following the Kerala Police Crime Branch granting clean chit to the police officers who were accused of being acquaintances to the fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, the petitioners approached state Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday, demanding a CBI investigation on the mentioned probe outcome, IANS reported.

The same set of petitioners had approached Vijayan in September last year, leading to an investigation against Mavunkal and his arrest. The complainants together were cheated of a cumulative Rs 10 crore.

When Mavunkal's cheating came to light, photos of then state police chief Loknath Behra and incumbent Additional Director General of Police Manoj Abraham at Mavunkal's "museum" in Kochi had gone viral. When the matter reached court, it had asked how these senior police officials did not come to realise such a museum cannot function as per the prevailing rules and regulations. The court also asked why the police established a daily beatbox at his house and the museum.

IANS reports that VIPs were usually brought to Mavunkal's museum, where he housed priceless antiques, he claimed, such as the "staff of Moses" and "two of the 30 silver coins that were taken by Judas to cheat Jesus Christ".

Also, there was a throne claimed to be owned by Tipu Sultan, as well as a huge collection of old Qurans, Bibles (Old Testament and New Testament), and old handwritten copies of Bhagavad Gita, police have informed.

Mavunkal has been under judicial custody since his arrest.