A team from Kerala Police nabbed fraud-accused Prijimon (53) from Bhuj in Gujarat by staying in the locality for two weeks and earning the trust of the local people. Language and intense heat in the region were the major challenges, says ASI R Mohan Kumar of Alappuzha South Police Station, who was part of the team.
“This area is situated in the Rann of Kutch region, bordering Pakistan. It is a military zone. We were not sure of taking the support of the local police. So, we went there and stayed for two weeks, interacting with the locals. We convinced them about our intentions and the need to bring this person to justice. Language was the main challenge. Also the heat - it may be raining here in Kerala, but there, the temperature was more than 50 degrees,” says Mohan Kumar.
Prijimon was accused of siphoning lakhs of rupees from various people during his time as SNDP secretary from 1997-2006. Eight different cases were registered against him by different victims at the Ambalapuzha Police Station. Prijimon was caught once and remanded. He was out on parole when he absconded in 2007 and remained in hiding for all these years.
“While those who lost huge amounts proceeded with the case, there were many others from whom relatively smaller amounts were taken. These people started coming to Prijimon's home, harassing family members and destroying property. This was what prompted him to go into hiding,” Mohan Kumar says.
Prijimon, who had prior experience working in the screen printing field, was employed in a company there. He avoided all contact with the family. He wasn't there when his mother died a few years ago. Presently, his father is hospitalised due to poor health. Yet, Prijimon avoided having direct contact with the family.
“Occasionally, he used to call distant relatives via WhatsApp. Calls made through WhatsApp are difficult to trace, but it was picked up by the cyber police some time ago. That's how we tracked the whereabouts of his location.”
Alappuzha District Police Chief Chaitra Teresa John took the initiative to reopen the case. While the cases against Prijimon were registered at Ambalapuzha Police Station, Mohan Kumar was asked to join due to his experience in investigating cases of similar nature.
“I was told to join the team to re-investigate the case by the police chief. Upon receiving the information about Prijimon's presence in Bhuj, we were given the order to go there and arrest him. It was me, and SCPOs Siddique Akbar and Bibin Das who made the team,” he said.
The investigation was led by Ambalapuzha DySP K G Aneesh and CI M Prateesh Kumar. Mohan Kumar's experience and knowledge in Hindi were instrumental in gaining the trust of the local people.