Kannur: A Congress leader accused of swindling jobseekers out of lakhs of rupees by using forged party seals to offer jobs in the UDF-controlled Kannur Municipal Corporation and cooperative banks is battling for life after allegedly consuming poison.
T P Murali, Congress Kakkad Mandalam secretary, consumed poison on Thursday, a day after Kannur District Congress Committee president Martin George and Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph’s Additional Private Secretary Chandran Thillenkeri lodged separate complaints against him. Three days after filing the complaints, Kannur Town Police said they are yet to register an FIR.
Murali, a native of Athazhakkunnu in Puzhathi panchayat, was found unconscious at his rented house around 9.30 am on Thursday. He was first taken to a cooperative hospital in Kannur and later shifted to Kannur Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram. He remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Postcards sent to the victims. Photo: Special Arrangement
Murali’s alleged suicide attempt has put his victims in a spot, as he had promised to return their money by Sunday. According to police, the victims have so far been unwilling to give statements because they were assured they would get their money back.
On June 23, Kannur District Congress Committee (DCC) president Martin George wrote to the Kannur Assistant Commissioner of Police seeking registration of a case and a detailed investigation after it emerged that Murali allegedly forged seals of the DCC to issue fake letters promising jobs.
On the same day, Chandran Thillenkeri, Private Secretary to Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph, submitted a separate complaint to the Kannur City Police Commissioner because his fake signature and seal also appeared in the documents shared with job seekers.
He urged police to identify those responsible and prevent further misuse of his name and designation.
According to reports, Murali allegedly collected nearly ₹10 lakh from at least five job seekers over the past year by promising appointments in the Kannur corporation and service cooperative banks. The victims, mostly from Taliparamba and Murali’s native Athazhakkunnu, reportedly paid at least ₹1.5 lakh for jobs as sweepers. Victims were allegedly told they would be appointed as vacancies arose.
To reinforce the deception, the victims were sent postcards, while their application forms carried multiple file notings in red and green ink directing them to contact the corporation. Murali even gave them uniforms and told them they could report for duty on June 19. When no appointment orders came even on the promised date, the victims approached Congress leaders, bringing the alleged scam to light.
One postcard dated November 15, 2025, bearing a forged DCC seal, stated: “Your appointment is ready. As the Model Code of Conduct for the election is in force, please treat this as an intimation. Do not disclose this to anyone.”
Another application form purportedly carried Thillenkeri’s forged signature in green ink along with multiple file notings suggesting that the appointment process was underway. Thillenkeri has denied any knowledge of the documents, saying he came to know of the alleged fraud only after media reports surfaced.
The Kannur DCC on Wednesday expelled Murali from the party, accusing him of bringing disrepute to the organisation and engaging in financial fraud.
Meanwhile, posters have appeared across Athazhakkunnu and nearby areas calling for Murali’s banishment from the locality. The posters described him as a man who projected a respectable public image while allegedly swindling lakhs from job seekers.
