KOCHI:
Complaints have now surfaced that several Malayalis, along with others, have allegedly defrauded Al Ahli Bank in Kuwait, prompting 12 cases to be registered in a few police stations in Kerala.
The cases follow a complaint lodged by a Kuwaiti national, a top official of the Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait, with the State Police chief of Kerala.
The total loss to the bank is in excess of Rs 200 crore by around 806 people from various parts, of which a good number are Keralaites.
The accused, who worked in Kuwait between 2020 and 2023, allegedly took loans and failed to repay them.
Following the complaints, police registered cases of financial fraud, cheating, and criminal conspiracy across various stations in Kottayam and Ernakulam.
The bank alleged that the loans were obtained with the intention of defrauding it.
Many of those involved returned to Kerala after leaving Kuwait and later migrated to countries including the United States and Australia.
However, the accused and their families contend that the financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to leave the country.
The development comes amid ongoing investigations by the Crime Branch into hundreds of similar cases related to the Gulf Bank of Kuwait, where many expatriates are accused of defrauding the bank.
Incidentally, when the Gulf Bank of Kuwait last year registered a complaint with the State Police chief in Kerala, a quick action then by the Kerala Police, many defaulters came forward to pay their dues.
When the Gulf Bank of Kuwait registered their complaint, the Union Home Ministry also intervened.
Al Ahli Bank’s complaint has now expanded the scope of these inquiries.
The police have been tasked with verifying the details of the loans, tracing the absconding individuals, and determining whether the alleged defaulters acted with deliberate intent to cheat the bank.
Authorities have warned that those found guilty could face strict legal action under financial fraud and criminal conspiracy charges.
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