Malappuram District Panchayat member wanted for fraud held at Mumbai airport; remanded

Malappuram: The Malappuram police on Sunday arrested and remanded District Panchayat member T P Haris (36) into custody on charges of cheating and criminal deception. Mumbai Police detained Haris at the Mumbai airport on Friday upon his arrival from the UAE, acting on a Lookout Notice. He was later handed over to the Malappuram police.

Haris, who represents the Makkaraparambu ward as a Muslim League member, also serves on the District Panchayat’s Purchase Committee. He allegedly collected funds from multiple individuals, promising high returns through investments in government projects.

The Malappuram police initiated the case based on a complaint filed by a Makkaraparambu resident. District Police Chief R Viswanath subsequently forwarded six more complaints related to the case. “So far, we have received a complaint involving financial fraud against T P Haris. We will soon record statements from others who allege they were cheated,” said Malappuram SHO P Vishnu.

“We filed a complaint with the District Police Chief after realising we had been deceived,” said T A Ayamu, one of the complainants, who told Onmanorama that he had handed over money to Haris, believing it was an investment in a district panchayat project.

While the total alleged fraud is estimated at around ₹25 crore, the police have so far registered a case only based on the complaint of M Safir, a Ramapuram resident who claims he was defrauded of ₹3.57 crore. SHO Vishnu added that the investigation would also look into possible misappropriation of government funds and whether others were involved in the scam.