KOCHI: Kochi City police will intensify inspections in travel agencies, education and manpower consultancies. Deputy commissioner S Sasidharan said that they have been receiving complaints of financial frauds against some agencies. The decision has been taken in the wake of a woman employee named Surya, 27, of a travel agency at Ravipuram having been stabbed in the neck by a man named Jolly James, 47, on Tuesday.
“Even before the incident, we have been collecting the details of such agencies and consulting firms at the police station levels and verifying their credentials. There is a large number of cheating cases involving such firms,” Sasidharan said.
Meanwhile, the police said that James had planned to target the owner of the firm and they recovered a new knife, which he had even bought for the purpose, from the crime scene.
The accused claims to have paid the agency Rs 1.50 lakh for a Lithuanian visa but it did not work out owing to the pandemic restriction. He claimed that the agency refunded Rs 1 lakh only and had been demanding the refund of the remaining Rs 50,000. However, the agency refuted the claims.
“The claims of both the accused and the owner will have to be verified. The accused’s custody will be sought after further probe,” said a source.
Meanwhile, the injured woman remains admitted in a private hospital with grievous injuries to her throat.

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