Thiruvananthapuram: The owners of the online media channel The Fourth have been arrested in connection with a massive financial fraud. Rajesh Pillai, the Chairman of the parent company Farm Fed, and Managing Director Aghin Francis were arrested by the Museum Police in Thiruvananthapuram.
The arrests followed a complaint filed by an investor from Kawdiar. The accused ran a company under the name Southern Green Farming and Marketing Co-operative Society, commonly known as Farm Fed. The company later entered the media industry with the launch of The Fourth channel.
According to the police, Farm Fed, which was established in 2008, collected over ₹300 crore from investors by promising high returns — as much as 12.5% interest. While payments were made during the initial two years, they stopped thereafter, prompting several investors to file complaints.
Despite promising to return the money two months ago, the company failed to deliver, which led to further police complaints. Besides Rajesh Pillai and Aghin Francis, four other directors — Dhanya, Shiny, Princi Francis, and Mahavishnu — have been named as accused in the case.
The corporate headquarters of Farm Fed is located in Chennai, and the company operates 16 branches across Kerala.
