A POCSO court in Kochi on Saturday sentenced conman and self-styled antique dealer Monson Mavunkal to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl, daughter of his former employee. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Mavunkal under various sections of the POCSO Act. Mavunkal, 54, who had high-profile friends in politics, IPS/IAS fraternity and media, was arrested in September 2021 on charges of financial fraud, but investigators tumbled upon the sexual abuse of the minor girl later. According to the prosecution, Mavunkal had been raping the minor girl since 2019. Mavunkal was chargesheeted under Sections 370(1)(a), 342, 354(A)(1)(iii)(2) (sexual harassment and confinement), 376(3), 376(2)(n) (commits rape repeatedly on the same woman), 376(2)(f) (being a relative, guardian, or teacher of, or a person in position of trust or authority towards the woman, commits rape on such woman), 313, 506(i) of the IPC and sections 5(p)(l)(j)(ii) r/w Section 10, Section 11(iii) r/w Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. According to the prosecution, Mavunkal had lured the 17-year-old girl, the daughter of his employee, promising to help her education. Although Mavunkal got bail in cases related to financial fraud, he has been in judicial custody since 2021 in the POSCO case. Early this week, Mavunkal was back in news after the crime branch, probing into his financial fraud cases, arraigned Congress state president K Sudhakaran as one of the accused in the case. Monson, who claimed to have been in the antique business for the past 25 years, had tricked investors into believing that he got Rs 2.62 lakh crore from selling antiques to royal families in the Middle East. He said he was in need of money to clear legal hurdles to get the amount transferred from HSBC bank to his bank account in Kerala. Monson had claimed to his investors that Sudhakaran would intervene to clear the legal obstacles in transferring the money from the Middle East to Kerala. One of the complainants in the financial fraud case said that he had handed over money to Mavunkal in the presence of Sudhakaran. The High Court on Thursday restrained the crime branch from arresting Sudhakaran till June 23 on a petition moved by the Congress leader. Apart from claiming to be in possession of “antiques” dating back to 13th century BC, Mavunkal posed as a renowned cosmetologist with high-profile clients, patron of an organisation for expatriates, chairman of a yet to be launched TV channel, motivational speaker and philanthropist. Sudhakaran and several others sought the treatment of the quack.Probe revealed that all the “artefacts and relics” in his possession are cheap knockoffs produced by local carpenters. Several photographs showing Monson with Kerala ministers Roshi Augustine and Ahammed Devarkovil, Sudhakaran, former DGP Loknath Behera, ADGP Manoj Abraham, IG Lakshman Gugulloth and former DIG S Surendran have come up on social media after his arrest. IG Gugulloth was suspended from service after a department probe found that he had abetted the illegal dealings of the conman. The police have found that Monson, who grew up in an ordinary family in Cherthala in Alappuzha, had no professional education. He had worked as a catechism teacher in a local church in the past. Leading a life of luxury, Monson had hired a private security agency, and deployed surveillance cameras on his premises to give the impression to visitors that he had precious antiques in his possession. Top police officials ensured regular patrolling at his houses in Kochi and Cherthala.
