Kochi, Oct 19: Already in trouble and under judicial custody, a case under the POCSO Act has been filed against fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal, police said on Tuesday.

The Ernakulam North Police following a complaint from a mother and her daughter registered the case against Mavunkal on Monday for violating the then 17-year-old girl in 2019 at two places. Kerala: Fake Antique Dealer Monson Mavunkal's Nexus with Politicians, Top Cops Under Scanner.

The mother of the girl was working at Monson's house (which also doubled up as his antique museum) here and promising to take care of her young daughter's education needs, he is alleged to have violated her, according to the complaint.

Until last month since he was arrested by the Crime Branch after a Rs six crore cheating case was filed by six people, Mavunkal was among the high profile VIP's in the state. His museum was even frequented by the top brass of the Kerala Police besides other top people from various sectors.

It was only after his arrest last month, that skeletons from his cupboard started to fall and by now it has now been proved that all the antiques which he showcased, including the "staff of Moses" and "two of the 30 silver coins that were taken by Judas to cheat Jesus Christ", were all fake.

Police said he had showcased these "rare" items -- a throne said to be used by Tipu Sultan, as well as a huge collection of old Qurans, Bibles (Old Testament and New Testament), and old handwritten copies of Bhagavad Gita.

Even the Kerala high court slammed the authorities for falling into the conman's trap and even raised doubts, whether the ongoing police probe would yield appropriate results.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2021 01:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).