Police in Kerala have initiated legal proceedings against thirteen individuals from the state, primarily nurses, for allegedly defaulting on loans obtained from Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait during their employment in the Gulf region.
A total of thirteen cases have been officially registered across several police stations: eight in Kottayam district (Kuravilangad, Ayarkunnam, Velloor, Kaduthuruthy, Vaikom, and Thalayolaparambu) and five in Ernakulam district (Puthencruz, Pothanikad, Varappuzha, and Angamaly).
These accused individuals, all of whom are nurses, are now facing charges of cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. The alleged loan defaults occurred over a period spanning from 2019 to 2021.
The recent surge in registered cases stems from a formal complaint lodged by Mohammad Al Qattan, the chief consumer officer of Al Ahli Bank. His complaint, specifically naming these thirteen individuals, was submitted to the State Police Chief a few days prior.
According to the bank’s representative, the accused collectively defrauded the institution of a staggering ₹10.33 crore by failing to honor their loan repayment obligations. Notably, a significant number of these individual defaults each amounted to approximately ₹1 crore or more.
The complaint details how the individuals allegedly secured these loans by providing false assurances that repayments would be made from their salaries and that they would remain employed in Kuwait until the full loan tenure was completed. However, the bank claims that these individuals deliberately resigned from their positions and left Kuwait without settling their debts, intentionally withholding information about their departure from Kuwaiti authorities. This behavior, the complaint argues, constitutes serious offenses of cheating and criminal breach of trust, leading to significant and irreversible financial losses for the bank.
This incident is part of a larger pattern, as the bank has identified a total of 806 individuals who have allegedly engaged in similar fraudulent activities. The total amount siphoned off through these deceptive practices is estimated to be around ₹270 crore, as indicated in the complaint.
Thomas J. Anakkallunkul of James and Thomas Associates, representing Al Ahli Bank, confirmed that these cases would be rigorously pursued under Section 208 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. This specific legal provision stipulates that Indian citizens who commit crimes abroad are subject to the same legal consequences as if their offenses had occurred within India.
This is not an isolated incident; another financial institution, Gulf Bank, had previously approached the Kerala Police, leading to the registration of ten similar cases in December 2024. In those earlier cases, the Kerala High Court rejected the anticipatory bail applications filed by the accused, and a Crime Branch investigation is currently underway.