Kerala, Feb 17 : Victims of the half-price scam, who were deceived with promises of two-wheelers and home appliances at half the market price, have alleged that police officers are unwilling to file cases against local agencies and NGOs involved in the scheme.

During a gathering at Kozhikode Beach on Sunday, 49 victims from Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Wayanad resolved to organize a protest march to police stations and pursue legal action to recover their losses.

The victims claimed they paid between Rs 56,000 and Rs 60,000 for two-wheelers through agencies like Samagra in Balussery, Havildar MA Rahman Memorial Library in Vazhakkad, Swaraj in Vazhakkad, and KMC Mundakkulam in Kondotty. Despite filing complaints with the DGP and through the Pol-app, no FIRs were registered.

Shiji S, one of the victims, shared her experience of approaching the Vazhakkad Police with a complaint against a local agency, only to be told that no new case could be filed because the agency had already lodged a complaint. She noted, “We made payments under the women-on-wheels scheme and did not directly interact with Ananthu Krishnan. However, no case has been filed on our complaint.”

Human rights activist PA Pouran, who attended the meeting, pointed out that under BNS Section 199, a police station is obligated to register a case upon receiving a complaint. He also highlighted that Sections 305 and 306 of the Kerala Police Manual mandate FIR registration upon receiving complaints, failing which legal action can be taken against the SHO concerned.

The victims are now planning to initiate a civil lawsuit to seize the assets of those behind the scam, which was operated through a trust. They emphasized that they had no direct dealings with the mastermind, Ananthu Krishnan, and had made payments to local agencies who, in turn, transferred the funds to his NGO. They are now demanding that cases be filed against these local agencies and NGOs involved in the fraud.