Thiruvananthapuram: In the last week of January, a police station in Kerala’s Ernakulam district received three complaints of a discount offer ‘scam’. The complainants—two individuals and a charitable society—were promised scooters and sewing machines for half the market price through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) route. The deliveries had not arrived even after six months of waiting.
Upon investigation, the Muvattupuzha police found links suggesting swindling of Rs 7.5 crore and arrested 26-year-old Ananthu Krishnan, the alleged mastermind, on 31 January. However, the case that was expected to end with the arrest opened a Pandora’s box, with hundreds of complaints flooding from across Kerala.
On Monday afternoon, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch. Big names have tumbled out as the police have booked Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust founder and executive director K.N. Anandakumar, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MLA Najeeb Kanthapuram, retired high court judge Ramachandran Nair, and Congress leader Laly Vincent in the separate cases.
Nair is booked in Malappuram for his connection as a patron of the National NGO Confederation. The complainant, an office bearer of a local NGO, said the Confederation and its office bearers swindled Rs 34 lakh last year. The case against Laly Vincent also states that she helped Ananthu swindle money by promising two-wheelers at half the price.
BJP state vice-president A.N. Radhakrishnan also find himself in a tight spot as he had participated in the programmes organised by Ananthu. Even Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje, a BJP leader from Karnataka, had attended an event. In his social media pages, Kerala general education minister V. Sivankutty was seen inaugurating one such event.
On Sunday, while he was taken to Ernakulam as part of evidence collection, Ananthu told the media that he had given money to many political leaders. “I started the NGO Confederation on the advice of Anandakumar and over 200 organisations came to its fold. He has given money…given money to members of many political parties,” Ananthu said, while being whisked away by the police.
Ananthu had set up the National NGO Federation in 2019 with the purpose to connect with multiple NGOs for carrying out the scam, according to the police.
Kottayam district police chief A. Shahul Hameed told ThePrint that at least 50 complaints have been received from across the district. “Most of the individuals were duped of Rs 50,000-Rs 60,000,” he said.
The Superintendent of Police said the investigation is currently in its primary stage of collecting evidence from the complainants.
Anandakumar and Shobha Karandlaje didn’t respond to ThePrint’s calls and messages. This article will be updated as and when a response is received.
The Sri Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, a staff member told ThePrint, doesn’t have a direct connection with the Confederation. “There is no staff here coordinating or working for the Confederation. The only knowledge we have about the Confederation is that Ananadakumar sir was the chairman,” the staff member said.
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Modus operandi
According to the police, Ananthu allegedly opened a seed society, Muvattupuzha Socio-Economic Development Society, to gain the public trust in the region.
The 26-year-old then approached individuals and local NGOs and organisations claiming that he has access to CSR funds from many companies, they said, adding that Ananthu had allegedly floated many such NGOs as well across Kerala.
The Idukki resident had also set up the Confederation in 2019 to connect and coordinate many NGOs in Kerala and collected funds from the public through local NGOs. While Ananthu was the coordinator of the Confederation, Anandakumar became its chairman.
“30 percent of the people who gave him their money initially were given the scooter and laptops,” a police officer told ThePrint, adding that it helped Ananthu to gain trust of the people.
On Saturday, Malappuram police booked Kanthapuram, the IUML MLA, after a complaint was filed against him and his organisation, the Mudra Charitable Foundation. This came after the complainant said she had paid Rs 21,000 at Kanthapuram’s office in September 2024 after she was promised a laptop.
Najeeb, in turn, told ThePrint that his organisation was a victim in the scam as it joined hands with the Confederation thinking it was trustworthy.
“The police are attacking individual NGOs. We are all the victims of the scam. The police should instead focus on arresting the real culprits behind the NGO Confederation,” the IUML leader said.
Radhakrishnan, too, said his organisation Society for Integrated Growth of the Nation (SIGN) was cheated by the Confederation. His organisation was not a member of the Confederation and was just an implementing agency, he added.
The BJP state vice-president said that he got involved with the Confederation after meeting Saigram Global Trust chairman K.N. Anandakumar. “The Confederation had many respected organisations and politicians… They all have been working for the public for years,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)