Fake antique dealer Monson Mavunkal was on Saturday sentenced to life imprisonment after a special POCSO court in Ernakulam found him guilty of sexually assaulting a minor girl. The special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case court held him guilty of sexually harassing his domestic helper’s minor daughter multiple times. Sections 376(2)(n) and 376(2)(f) of the IPC were imposed on him.
While Mavunkal has been convicted in the case of sexual assault of a minor girl, he also committed major crimes as a fake antique dealer, as he defrauded people claiming to be having many rare and antique items.
Monson Mavunkal is the infamous conman who sold antique artefacts
Monson Mavunkal is accused of allegedly swindling crores of rupees by selling fake antiquities. The Crime Branch of Kerala Police arrested him on November 6, 2021. Mavunkal had pretended to be a collector of artefacts and relics over the last several years and cheated people of over Rs 10 crore. As per a report, Mavunkal had claimed that his precious antique collection includes a throne of Tipu Sultan, the first edition of the Holy Bible, books used by Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji, the last Mughal emperor Aurangazeb and Mysore Sultan Tipu Sultan. Looking at the grandeur of the claims made by this con man, it becomes necessary to take an account of the special artefacts he allegedly possesses and fools people by making such false claims.
Monson Mavunkal deceived numerous individuals by posing as a self-proclaimed antique dealer. He employed impressive amounts of money and name-dropping of influential people to entice and ensnare his targets. Investigations later revealed that Monson’s persuasive words and demeanour were so convincing that he managed to obtain substantial sums of money, totalling crores of rupees, from unsuspecting individuals without providing any form of collateral.
However, not everyone readily accepted Monson’s claims at face value. Those who expressed scepticism found themselves invited to his heavily guarded residence in Kaloor, Kochi. To their astonishment, Monson unveiled an entire “antique” world before their eyes—a collection of “artefacts” that they had never known existed.
The display would lure anyone to buy these artefacts
Monson Mavunkal bolstered his credibility by maintaining round-the-clock security personnel and showcasing luxury cars parked in the driveway and front yard of his residence. He claimed to have received a staggering amount of Rs 2,62,600 crore in his Delhi bank account, purportedly the proceeds from selling artefacts to royalty in the Gulf countries. Monson entreated his guests to lend him money, citing the need to bypass the restrictions imposed by the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), which allegedly prohibited cash withdrawals from his account.
Exploiting his supposed connections with influential figures across various domains, Monson enticed his victims with promises of partnership in his proposed museum. Falling for his deceit, they handed over their money to him.
Allegedly, Monson managed to swindle several individuals out of Rs 10 crore using this method between June 2007 and November 2020. Frustrated by their unsuccessful attempts to recover their funds despite repeated efforts, the lenders approached the chief minister with their complaint. Investigating authorities have uncovered evidence indicating Monson’s close association with several prominent personalities, including leading actors, politicians, and senior government officials.
Monson Mavunkal’s antique list included items from the era of Jesus and Prophet Muhammad
Monson Mavunkal’s ability to blur the line between reality and mythology through his presented “antiques” should have raised suspicions. However, the meticulously crafted presentation and immersive ambience he created effectively erased doubts in the minds of many, including the well-educated and affluent, who found themselves believing in his fabrications and lost their money to him.
Among the exhibits showcased by Mavunkal were supposedly two of the 30 silver pieces Judas Iscariot received for betraying Jesus Christ, a fragment of the Holy Shroud, a stone jug attributed to the miracle of water turning into wine at Cana, Moses’ staff, Chhatrapati Shivaji’s personal copy of the Bhagavad Gita, the coronation ring of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, a purported 4,500-year-old sculpture, social reformer Sree Narayana Guru’s walking stick, a panchaloha-coated sculpture of Nandi (the sacred bull of Lord Shiva), the registration document of Mysore Palace, the throne of the Maharajah of Travancore, Sathya Sai Baba’s 1.5-kilogram golden footwear, paintings claimed to be by Raja Ravi Varma and Leonardo da Vinci, a clay lamp and prayer mat supposedly used by Prophet Muhammad, gold copies of the Quran said to have been used by Mughal emperors Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb, a fragment of St. Antony’s nail, hair allegedly belonging to Mother Teresa, St. Alphonsa’s habit, a Picasso painting purportedly made of 100 kilograms of gold, a 250-kilogram emerald, and a palm-leaf manuscript containing quotes from the Quran. These were just some of the “antiques” Monson displayed to his invited guests at his residence in Kaloor.
The complainants explained that it was the impressive nature of these exhibits that led them to trust Monson. He even went so far as to claim possession of a multi-crore chemical compound used in rocket launches, further boosting their faith in him. However, the investigation by the Crime Branch has uncovered significant inconsistencies in Monson’s claims. It has been revealed that all of the antiques showcased by him were fake.
Not a single item had any documentary proof of originality
Despite claiming to possess a vast collection of valuable artefacts, Monson failed to produce any documentation to authenticate their age or ownership. When the lenders who had provided him with Rs 10 crore demanded repayment, Monson assured them that he would sell some of the antiques from his collection to settle the debt.
However, he managed to deceive them once again by claiming that he was unable to travel overseas due to a travel ban. Consequently, the creditors, believing his explanation, attempted to find potential buyers and approached the royal families in Qatar and Dubai. Unfortunately, the royals insisted on proper documentation that would verify the age and ownership of the artefacts.
When pressed for the necessary paperwork, Monson refused to provide it. Instead, he handed them an order from the state police chief, supposedly guaranteeing the security of the valuables. This conman is now sentenced in a case of sexual assault on a minor girl.
