Ex-Mizoram Governor, senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, 8 others booked in cheating case

Police on Thursday booked senior BJP leader and former Mizoram Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan along with eight others in a cheating case in Aranmula in the district.

The case was registered under various IPC sections including 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) on the basis of a complaint filed by a man identified as Harikrishnan hailing from Aranmula.

Rajasekharan is the fourth accused in the case, police said. Strongly rejecting the allegations, Rajasekharan said he was wrongly named in a "politically motivated" case.

All the nine are named as accused in the case, police said.

In his complaint, Harikrishnan said the group cheated him by taking over Rs 30 lakh from him on different occasions between October 2018 and January 2020 after promising that he would be made a shareholder of a company in Palakkad district.

While first accused Praveen is Rajasekharan's former aide, second accused Vijayan from Kollengode in Palakkad district is the major partner of the company, police said.

Barring Rajasekharan, the other eight are partners of the manufacturing unit of eco-friendly products, they said. Harikrishnan has claimed that he invested the money taking into account recommendations of Rajasekharan, whom he had met twice to discuss the matter, police said.

He has claimed that Rajasekharan had told him that it was a good project and he would be benefitted if money is invested in it.

Harikrishnan has said in his complaint that he met Rajasekharan when he visited the Sabarimala temple as governor of Mizoram and later during his Aranmula visit. Police said an investigation has been launched.

Rejecting the allegations, Rajasekharan said he had not discussed anything with the complainant regarding the investment.

Talking to reporters, Rajasekharan said Praveen had worked with him as a secretary when he was the governor. He also said he had no knowledge about Praveen's involvement in the case. Rallying behind Rajasekharan, the state BJP unit alleged that the CPI(M)-led LDF government was trying to attack the party by wrongly implicating the senior leader in the case. Describing Rajasekharan as a political leader with a clean track record, BJP state unit chief K Surendran said the bid to tarnish his image by levelling such allegations will not succeed.

Surendran alleged that the state government, which has lost its image in the gold smuggling case, is trying to target the BJP by levelling false allegations against senior party leader Rajasekharan, who leads a life like a saint.