Kannur Job Scam: Expelled Congress Leader in Critical Condition After Consuming Poison

A bitter local political fight in Kerala’s Kannur district has taken a very tragic turn. Local Congress committee secretary T.P. Murali, who was accused of running a major job scam a day ago, is fighting for his life at a hospital after consuming poison, reports said.

Murali was found unconscious in his rented house on Thursday morning. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and later shifted to the Kannur Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram. Doctors said his condition remains critical.

The charges that triggered the crisis

The desperate act was committed just after there had been serious complaints against him. Murali is said to have syphoned off lakhs of rupees from hopeful job aspirants, promising employment in cooperative banks and the Kannur Municipal Corporation.

The scam reportedly involved forged party seals, fake signatures and fabricated appointment letters to make the offers look genuine.

The complaints didn’t come from political opponents but from his own circle. The forged documents and seals were discovered by Kannur District Congress Committee President Martin George and Chandran Thillenkeri, the Additional Private Secretary to Kerala Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph, who sounded the alarm about the fraud. Murali was promptly expelled from the Congress party after the scandal, with the party citing financial impropriety and damage to its reputation.

Victims in limbo

Police sleuths believe that at least five victims have fallen prey to the scam in the last one year, losing a combined amount of nearly ₹10 lakh.

But the police are finding it hard to get to the bottom of the case. Many of the victims are reluctant to give official statements to investigators, quietly promising that they will eventually get their money back.

Murali is fighting for his life in hospital, and the incident has triggered a political storm across Kerala. The authorities are now tasked with unravelling the web of the fraudulent job scheme and the grave circumstances that led to the suicide attempt.