Police in Kerala are cracking down on a major loan fraud case involving Al Ahli Bank in Kuwait. Authorities have filed 12 complaints against around 806 people, many of them from Kerala, for allegedly scamming the bank out of more than Rs 200 crore.
The trouble started when a senior official from Al Ahli Bank filed a formal complaint with Kerala’s State Police chief. These individuals worked in Kuwait from 2020 to 2023, took out loans, and then vanished without repaying a dime. The bank claims they got the money with the clear plan to cheat it.
Cases popped up in police stations across Kottayam and Ernakulam districts, charging the suspects with financial fraud, cheating, and criminal conspiracy. Many of the accused headed back to Kerala after leaving Kuwait, and some even moved on to places like the United States and Australia.
The suspects and their families push back, saying the COVID-19 pandemic wrecked their finances and left them no choice but to flee. But police aren’t buying it yet—they’re digging deep to check loan details, track down the runaways, and figure out if this was outright fraud.
This isn’t the first time something like this has hit Kerala. The Crime Branch is already probing hundreds of similar defaults linked to Gulf Bank of Kuwait, where expatriates from the state face accusations of dodging repayments. Last year, when Gulf Bank lodged a complaint, Kerala police moved fast. That prompted many defaulters to step up and pay what they owed, and even the Union Home Ministry jumped in to help.
Now, Al Ahli Bank’s alert has widened the net on these investigations. Officials warn that anyone proven guilty could face tough penalties under laws for financial fraud and criminal conspiracy. As Kerala loan fraud cases pile up, especially those tied to Kuwait banks, authorities aim to send a strong message to expatriates tempted to skip out on debts.
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