Thrissur: The Irinjalakuda Police on Wednesday filed a case against three individuals, including a conman named Hari Swami, in connection with the Rs 500 crore Iridium scam. The accused are Praseetha, a native of Mapranam, Jisha from Irinjalakuda, and Hari from Perinjanam.

The case was filed based on a complaint by Manoj (41), a native of Mapranam, Irinjalakuda, who was defrauded of Rs 31,000 in two separate instances—one in August 2018 and the other in January 2019. The scam has caused significant financial losses to many people in Thrissur and Palakkad.

Hari allegedly began collecting money by convincing people that he would be appointed as the trustee of the Sri Rajarajeshwari Temple in Kolkata. Initially, he claimed the funds were being raised to recover 'dead money' (unclaimed funds in banks worldwide) and distribute it to the poor.

Later, investors were told they were investing in an Iridium business. Those who invested only received a white paper with a note stating the promised amount as proof of investment. In the early stages, many victims hesitated to file complaints due to fear. With the first case now registered, the police expect more victims to come forward.

The trio are booked under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 34 (joint criminal liability) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).