Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 12: The Kerala Crime Branch has arrested K.N. Anand Kumar, Chairman of the NGO Confederation, in connection with the Rs 1,000 crore corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund scam that has defrauded thousands of unsuspecting people across the state.
The arrest came just hours after a local court in the state capital denied Kumar’s bail plea on Tuesday. Following his detention, he reportedly fell ill and was admitted to a private hospital, where doctors placed him in the cardiac ICU due to health concerns. On Wednesday, a magistrate conducted an online hearing and remanded him to judicial custody while allowing him to remain in the hospital for medical care.
Investigations have revealed that Kumar allegedly received Rs 10 lakh per month for several months from Ananthu Krishnan, the 28-year-old mastermind behind the elaborate scam. Krishnan, who is currently in judicial custody, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme under the pretense of a CSR initiative, luring victims with the promise of high-value consumer products—such as scooters, laptops, and sewing machines—at half their retail price.
Thousands of individuals, believing they were benefiting from a corporate sponsorship program, invested their money, only to realize later that the promised products never materialized. As complaints surged across Kerala, authorities launched an extensive probe into the fraudulent operation.
The Crime Branch has registered over 500 cases related to the scam across all 14 districts of the state. With the arrest of Krishnan, law enforcement agencies intensified their efforts to track down other key figures, including Anand Kumar, whose role in the operation had been under scrutiny for weeks.
Last month, in a parallel investigation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided 12 locations across Kerala to trace the money trail and potential money laundering links associated with the scam.
With the case unraveling and more arrests expected, authorities are working to ensure justice for the thousands of victims caught in one of Kerala’s largest financial frauds in recent history.