Unmasking 'puthiya mugham' of a scamster

IDENTITY forgeries and impersonations by accused individuals remain a major challenge for investigation agencies. In many cases, such deceptions have misled sleuths into trailing red herrings.

- ABDUL NAZER M A

In one such case, a special investigation team from the Ernakulam Rural Police apprehended a man who had been using forged identities and documents to defraud several individuals by offering fake overseas job opportunities. He had swindled over ₹1 crore.

The accused, Subhash M Varghese (48), a native of Oorakkad, was eventually tracked down and arrested from a rented house in Thiruvilwamala, Palakkad, where he had been hiding after completely altering his appearance.

Subhash operated a fake overseas recruitment firm named 'Lambromela' in Kolenchery, Kadamattom.

For official purposes, he used the Aadhaar details of a Kozhikode native named Praveen Vishwanathan, who had once consulted him for a foreign visa.