When a newspaper advertisement in the early 90s offered unrealistic returns from planting teak and mangium trees in faraway places, Malayalis did not hesitate to invest lavishly in the scheme. As it turned out, the investors lost crores in the fraudulent scheme and now, it is referred to as the first among the long list of scams that have tricked literate Keralites to part with their money.
More than the extent of the scam, what makes Monson Mavunkal–the latest entrant in the conman lineup–different is that his activities were blatantly public and right under the nose of authorities and top cops.
It was Kerala police’s most embarrassing moment in recent memory when they had to remove a ‘police beat box’ from outside Monson’s man- sion, hours arrest. Till then, even police believed he had ‘valuables’ in his possession that needed protection prompting them to set up a beatbox and do routine patrolling near to his house.
Going by past experiences, it is very likely that even after laughing at the absurdity of Monson’s claims, Malayalis are likely to fall for a similar scam again in the future. Criminologist James Vadakkumchery says what is common in all these scammers is that they suck in people by preying on their obsession to become rich overnight.
“The sale of lottery tickets in the state is an example. People are willing to try their luck on a daily basis to become rich quickly. Common sense takes a backseat and when someone looking to make easy money is approached with a tempting offer,” said Vadakkumchery.
If not for the crimes he committed, Monson will still be remembered as the prince of conmen in Kerala, simply for his audacity to trick even the most high and mighty.
