Forest department seizes whale bones from Mavunkal’s Kochi hideout

Forest team raided his hideout based on a tip-off and recovered suspected whale bones and sent them for examination. Officials found that bones were shifted from his house in Kochi soon after Mavunkal’s arrest.

The Kerala Forest Department on Sunday seized whale bones from one of the hideouts of arrested self-styled antique collector Monson Mavunkal in Kochi.

Monson Mavunkal was arrested on September 26 after five businessmen approached chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office complaining that they were cheated by him of ₹10 crore. (Agencies)

Forest team raided his hideout based on a tip-off and recovered suspected whale bones and sent them for examination. Officials found that bones were shifted from his house in Kochi soon after his arrest. Earlier, two ivory tusks obtained from the house were found fake after examination so this time officials are tight-lipped. The ivory tusks were found to have been made of grated powder of cattle horns obtained from meat shops.

“We have seized two big suspected whale bones and sent them for examination. If they are real bones we will book him under the Wildlife Protection Act. We will start our investigation once the result is out,” said forest flying squad inspector K G Anwar. Whales are protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act and possession and trade of any of their by-products is punishable in the country.

Meanwhile, a case under the Protection of Children from Offences of Sexual Act (Pocso) was registered against Mavunkal’s former make-up man P Joshy. In her complaint a 19-year-old girl said besides Mavunkal she was also sexually exploited by his make-up artist several times. The victim said she was 17 when the assault took place and based on her statement the special investigation team registered a case under Pocso. Joshi was arrested on Saturday and sent to the judicial custody later.

The SIT had earlier slapped Pocso case on Mavunkal after the girl complained that she sexually assaulted at his house. In the complaint filed at the Ernakulam North police station, the mother of the girl said she was sexually assaulted while she was 17 and they were scared to approach the police. During investigation she named the make-up man.

Mavunkal was arrested on September 26 after five businessmen approached chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office complaining that they were cheated by him of ₹10 crore by promising shares in the upcoming international antique museums in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Later several other businessmen filed similar cheating complaints against him and the government constituted a special investigation team.