Firm outsmarts cops, files case against couple

The owner of a consultancy firm in HSR Layout outsmarted the police and registered an FIR against an entrepreneur couple and two police inspectors.

The couple had lost nearly Rs 62 lakh to the aforementioned consultancy after it promised them permanent residency in Australia for their business expansion.

Dr Suresh K Menon (54), owner of Penton Consulting Pvt Limited in HSR Layout approached the 6th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) court with a private complaint.

The complaint said two police inspectors - Chandrappa with the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the then HSR Layout police inspector Nagaraja - had threatened Menon and forced him to sign five cheques for a total of Rs 62 lakh.

The court then directed the HSR Layout police to register an FIR against the entrepreneur couple Arakal Keshavan Ramesh, his wife Swarna Ramesh, the two officers in question and investigate the matter further.

The inspectors and the couple have been charged with wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, wrongful confinement to extort, assault or criminal force and robbery.

According to the police, in September last year, Ramesh approached Menon for a permanent residency visa in Australia.

Ramesh and his MBA, B-Tech graduate wife were providing food supply services to the Indian Navy and were exploring greener pastures overseas.

Menon convinced the couple and started taking money through Earnest Money Deposit (EDM), tender awarding charges, security deposit, and deposit and rent for an office in Brisbane, which totalled up to Rs 62 lakh.

Menon told Ramesh that he will soon visit the Australian consulate in Chennai regarding the same.

Trust issues

While Menon claimed he was away at the consulate office in Chennai, Ramesh spotted Menon near a hotel driving his car in HSR Layout. “I messaged him and asked him again where he was, and he replied he was at the Australian consulate in Chennai,” Ramesh told DH.

Thereafter Ramesh contacted his friends in Australia to inquire about the business tenders and other documents at the consulate offices in Sydney and Brisbane.

Ramesh’ friend who visited a few banks and other offices there learnt Menon was indeed faking it all.

Ramesh then confronted Menon and demanded his money back. When Menon refused, he filed a complaint at the HSR Layout police.

The HSR Layout police had registered an FIR against Menon and his wife Rani Josh Menon on December 26, 2018, for cheating, forgery and other IPC sections.

Rs 7 lakh returned

Soon, the two police inspectors had summoned Menon, urged him to return the money to the couple, after which Menon had to hand over the signed cheques as well.

Initially, Menon returned Rs 7 lakh to Ramesh. He then stopped the payment and filed a private complaint at the court alleging the police forced him to sign the cheques.

He also alleged that the couple had fake degree certificates due to which they could not proceed with their business abroad.