INDIA: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has carried out raids on the properties of Puthenveettil Joseph Mathew (P J Mathew), the proprietor of “Mathew International,” both in Mumbai and Kerala.
These actions are in connection with a multi-crore rupee fraud related to the recruitment of nurses for the Ministry of Health in Kuwait.
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA), bank accounts holding Rs. 76 lakh were frozen and documents indicating immovable properties with a total market value of Rs. 12 crore were seized during the searches. This move was prompted by an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in Cochin (Kerala).
In 2015, P J Mathew and his son Thomas, along with Mahmood Naina Prabhu, the proprietor of “Munavarra Associates” in Mumbai, devised a scheme to recruit nurses for the Ministry of Health in Kuwait using a license obtained fraudulently by M/s Munavarra from the Government of India.
P J Mathew also secured demand letters and authorization letters from “Jezan International” and “Al-Amar Company” in Kuwait, using the name of M/s Munavarra for the recruitment of nurses for the Ministry of Health.
It’s reported that Lawrence Adolphus, the then Protector of Emigrants in Kochi, was also implicated in the conspiracy.
P J Mathew and his group conducted interviews in Cochin and charged each candidate exorbitant fees of nearly Rs 20 lakh, significantly exceeding the prescribed limit of Rs 20,000.
This led to fraudulent gains amounting to Rs 205.71 crore, collected from nursing emigrants. The ill-gotten funds were sent to Kuwait through hawala transfers with the assistance of Mohammad Aslam from Ideal Forex Private Limited in Ernakulam (Kerala).
Notably, Mathew had drawn the attention of the Income Tax Department, which seized Rs 4.55 crore in cash from his premises in April-May 2025.
Furthermore, in March 2021, the ED had attached assets worth over Rs 7.5 crore belonging to P J Mathew, Celine Mathew, and Thomas Mathew in a money laundering case linked to the fraudulent activity involving 900 nurses bound for Kuwait.
The assets included a duplex flat in Mumbai’s Juhu area, a plot of land in Kerala, a Mercedes Benz car, and the Rs 4.55 crore in cash.
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