No harm to licensed moneylenders under Operation Kubera

Kochi: The state government on Thursday informed Kerala High Court that no action would  be taken against licensed money lenders  under Operation Kubera.

The state made the submission before Justice Alexander Thomas  in an affidavit. The court had earlier criticised the state for its indifference while dealing with money launderers.

The court orally observed that  Operation Kubera had virtually turned into Operation Kuchela. Mr  Manoj Abraham, Inspector-General of Police, Thiruvananthapuram,  submitted that  under no circumstances genuine money lenders, who are operating with valid licences, would be harassed in any manner.

Also raid would be conducted on licensed premises when reliable and written complaints are received. The raid will not be conducted based on mere hearsay, he  submitted.

The state filed the report in response to a petition filed by P.G. Koshy Paniker seeking a directive to stay all further proceedings against him.

The petitioner submitted that  though he had a proper licence for conducting the business, the police conducted a raid on his premises and registered a false case against him.

The IG also said that strict direction was  given to the investigation officer to probe the case registered at  Kundara police station in a fair and impartial manner.