Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said that scamsters collected Rs 281.43 crore from 48,386 people by promising scooters at half the price using corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, but delivered vehicles to only 16,348 people.

Responding to a query raised by CPM MLA Murali Perunelly on the status of the CSR scam investigation, Vijayan told the Assembly that police have registered 1,343 cases related to the scam till March 12. Of these, 665 cases have been handed over to the Superintendent of Crime Branch, Ernakulam, who is leading the special investigation team under the supervision of ADGP (Crimes).

The scam involved thousands of people being allegedly cheated with false promises of two-wheelers and laptops at discounted rates using CSR funds. Vijayan said that several crucial documents have been seized from the prime accused, whose bank accounts have been frozen.

Six people have been arrested in connection with the case — Anandhu Krishnan, Ravi Pannakkal, Basheer PP, Riyas, Mohammed Shafi, and KN Anand Kumar.

According to data from the 386 cases under investigation, a total of Rs 281.43 crore was collected from 48,386 people by promising scooters at half price. However, only 16,348 individuals received the two-wheelers. Similarly, Rs 9.22 crore was collected from 36,891 people under the pretext of providing discounted laptops, but only 29,897 received them. Additionally, 56,082 people were promised sewing machines, with Rs 23.24 crore collected, though only 53,478 machines were delivered.

The investigation revealed that the prime accused and his companies operated 23 bank accounts. Steps have been initiated to attach three of his properties as per a court order, Vijayan added.

The chief minister said that the Crime Branch investigation into 279 cases is still in its early stages. The fraud was orchestrated through the Socio-Economic and Environmental Development Society, the NGO Confederation, and various seed societies and confederations, all of which were formed with Anand Kumar as chairman and Anandhu Krishnan as coordinator.

Vijayan urged the public to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to scams that lure people with attractive offers.