THRISSUR: The Principal District and Sessions Court, Thrissur, has rejected the bail applications of two accused in a case involving the alleged cheating of ₹5.34 lakh by offering a fake clerk job in the Guruvayur Devaswom Board using forged documents purportedly issued in the name of the Kerala Devaswom Recruitment Board.
The accused are Geetha Rani alias Geetha Rajagopal (67), a resident of Vivekananda Nagar, Malayinkeezhu, Thiruvananthapuram, and Joy Antony (54), a native of Malavay Desam, Chottupara, Thrissur. The bail pleas were rejected by Principal District and Sessions Judge P.S. Sasikumar.
According to the prosecution, the accused had promised to secure Lower Division Clerk (LDC) posts in the Devaswom Board for the children of a Pananchery resident. They allegedly collected ₹5.34 lakh through Google Pay and direct cash transactions, along with three blank cheque leaves from the complainants.
Geetha Rani is currently lodged in the women’s prison in connection with another criminal case registered at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Police Station. She had approached the court seeking bail while in custody.
Joy Antony, the fourth accused in the case, remains absconding and had sought anticipatory bail. A separate complaint is also pending against him at the Thrissur East Police Station. Three accused, including Joy, are currently on the run.
Opposing the bail applications, District Public Prosecutor K.P. Ajay Kumar argued that the accused do not deserve bail under any circumstances, as there is a strong possibility that they could tamper with evidence and intimidate witnesses if released. He further submitted that the case requires a detailed investigation and that granting bail at this stage would send a wrong message to society.
Accepting the prosecution’s arguments, the court dismissed the bail applications of the accused.
