The Kothamangalam police on Monday (February 2, 2026) registered a case against three people, including two local BJP leaders, for allegedly duping a 58-year-old man of nearly ₹10,000 on the promise of settling police cases registered against his son in Bengaluru.
The accused are Unnikrishnan Thrikkariyoor, Suneesh TS and Sanal, a native of Kumila in Idukki. The First Information Report (FIR) identifies Unnikrishnan as the general secretary and Suneesh as the secretary of the BJP’s Kothamangalam mandalam committee. The case was registered on the complaint of George Mathai of Chelad. According to the FIR, the accused allegedly received an amount of ₹9,74,000 from the complainant in various installments, both directly and through bank transfer, between June 15, 2025 and November 19, 2025.
The accused were charged with fraud and criminal breach of trust. Mr. George, along with his close relatives, staged a protest outside the BJP office in Kothamangalam on Monday, demanding that the accused return his money.
Reacting to the incident, BJP (Ernakulam East) president PP Sajeev said that Unnikrishnan had been implicated in the case. “Suneesh was removed from the party post even before the charge was leveled earlier,” he added.
Published – 03 Feb 2026 0:50 IST