Published Sep 18, 2026 | 8:30 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 18, 2026 | 8:30 AM
Anto, Roji and Josekutty - the Augustine Brothers.
Synopsis: The Augustine brothers, who run Malayalam news channel Reporter TV and have business interests across several sectors, are back in the spotlight after Managing Director and Managing Editor Anto Augustine was arrested and remanded in an Abkari case following police and Excise searches. Even before the Excise case, the names of the three brothers had figured in allegations of financial fraud and cheating, among other controversies, dating back at least a decade.
The Augustine brothers are once again in the headlines.
This time, the spotlight has fallen on Anto Augustine, Managing Director and Managing Editor of Reporter TV, following a police raid at the channel’s office and his residence, an Excise search at his home, and his subsequent arrest and remand on charges of allegedly possessing liquor beyond the legally permissible limit.
Anto’s latest brush with the law has once again put the Augustine family and its expanding media interests under scrutiny.
They entered the news channel business through Reporter Broadcasting Company Private Limited (RBC), which was incorporated in April 2023. Three months later, in July, the company took over Reporter TV from Indo Asian News and relaunched the channel, which had originally begun operations in May 2011.
The media venture, however, came after the brothers had already figured prominently in a series of controversies and legal cases.
Their names have figured in allegations of financial fraud and cheating, the controversial Mango Phone, or mPhone, case, the Muttil tree-felling case, alleged tax evasion and other irregularities, as well as the proposed visit of the Argentina national football team and superstar Lionel Messi in 2025, which never materialised.
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Anto, Roji and Josekutty, the sons of businessman and plantation owner MM Augustine and Ithamma Augustine, come from the Moongananiyil family, one of Keralam’s prominent Catholic families.
Anto, Roji and Josekutty – the Augustine Brothers
The three brothers have built their professional careers around the family’s business interests, holding key roles in Emaraj Group International and Reporter TV. Alongside Anto, Roji and Josekutty serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the channel, respectively.
Over the years, Emaraj expanded its operations beyond India, establishing a presence across the GCC, Asia, Africa and Europe.
Its businesses span several sectors, including electronics and home appliances, automotive components, gold and diamond jewellery, media, hospitality, construction, retail, food chains, real estate, fashion and entertainment.
Roji, who holds a degree in Mass Communication, is also involved in the group’s expansion and business operations. His academic background in mass communication has been part of his professional journey alongside his role in the family enterprise.
Josekutty serves as Vice Chairman of Emaraj Group International and is also associated with Reporter TV. Like his brothers, he is involved in the group’s business interests.
The launch of the much-hyped ‘Mango Phone’ in February 2016 was meant to mark the arrival of a home-grown challenger to American tech giant Apple.
Instead, launch day ended with the arrest of its promoters, brothers Anto and Josekutty, in a bank fraud case.
Logo of mPhone or Mango Phone
The brothers, then 32 and 24, were taken into custody from a hotel in Kochi on 29 February 2016, just hours before the scheduled launch of the 3G smartphone developed by Kochi-based mPhone Electronics and Technologies.
The company had projected itself as Keralam’s answer to the iPhone, claiming more than four years of experience in handset manufacturing, an R&D centre in Korea and a manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China.
But behind the glossy phone launch was a string of allegations of financial fraud.
Kalamassery Police then stated that the brothers had allegedly obtained more than ₹11 crore from the Kalamassery branch of Bank of Baroda by mortgaging a property that had already been pledged to the State Bank of Travancore (later merged with SBI in 2017) for a ₹13.5-crore loan.
Forged documents were allegedly produced to secure the fresh loan. Police said the brothers had been absconding for nearly a year and that a warrant was pending against them.
The Bank of Baroda complaint had put the alleged fraud at ₹2.68 crore. Police subsequently said the brothers were suspected of using a similar modus operandi to raise money from other banks, including the State Bank of India.
Even before the mPhone fiasco, the Augustine brothers were not new to allegations of financial wrongdoing. They had earlier run an Asia Motor Works (AMW) dealership at Pathadippalam, and several complaints had emerged from that business.
A Kalamassery Police report filed before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in March 2016 said the two were wanted in at least three other cases in Keralam, apart from a cheating case registered in Karnataka.
One of the Keralam cases was in Kottayam, another was registered at Meenangadi in Wayanad, and a third was an assault case registered at Ernakulam Central Police Station.
The Karnataka case related to an allegation that the brothers had taken ₹1.5 crore from a Mangalore resident after promising to sell trees from a plantation in Kodagu. They reportedly repaid about half the amount, leaving ₹75 lakh outstanding.
Their financial dealings with banks also extended beyond the Bank of Baroda case. Police said the brothers had obtained about ₹1 crore from an ICICI Bank branch in Ernakulam to purchase a luxury car. The vehicle was later seized following a court order.
Police also said Canara Bank had claimed that the brothers owed it more than ₹60 lakh.
Even as complaints mounted, the brothers were allegedly trying to raise another sizeable loan from a bank in Ernakulam, police said.
More complaints followed after their arrest. Kalamassery Police registered another cheating case based on a complaint by Anil Kumar of Thiruvananthapuram, who alleged that the brothers had taken money from him after promising to deliver a truck.
Kumar had availed a loan of ₹16 lakh from Axis Bank and paid the amount to the brothers’ vehicle dealership. The truck was allegedly never delivered, leaving Kumar to service the bank loan. The case was registered under Sections 406 and 420 of the IPC for criminal breach of trust and cheating.
The Crime Branch’s Economic Offences Wing had also registered a similar case after a construction company in Muvattupuzha alleged that the brothers had collected ₹17 lakh for a truck but failed to deliver it. Both complaints related to transactions through their AMW dealership.
In several cheating and financial fraud cases, the brothers resolved their disputes amicably with the complainants. The respective courts then ended the proceedings, stating that “parties have arrived at a genuine and bona fide settlement.”
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Five years later, the three brothers came under the scanner in 2021 in connection with the illegal felling of protected rosewood trees from assigned land at South Muttil in Wayanad.
They were booked under various provisions, including the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, cheating, theft and forgery. The three are also accused in 42 of the 46 cases registered by the Forest Department in connection with illegal tree felling in Wayanad.
Roji, proprietor of Surya Timbers, allegedly arranged for the illegally felled timber to be transported from the assigned land to a timber depot in Ernakulam. The Forest Department has so far seized around 202 cubic metres of rosewood timber cut in the Muttil area.
The brothers are also facing a separate cheating case registered by the Ambalamedu Police on a complaint filed by MM Aliyar, proprietor of Malabar Timber Industries, Karimugal.
Aliyar alleged that he was cheated of ₹1.4 crore in a timber transaction involving trees illegally felled in Wayanad.
According to the FIR registered on 13 July 2021, the accused allegedly collected the amount from Aliyar in instalments as advance payment and subsequently sold him 54 pieces of timber obtained from the illegally felled trees. The trees were allegedly cut and transported from the Meppadi Forest Range.
Aliyar alleged that despite repeated demands, the brothers neither returned the advance nor produced valid permits for the timber. He subsequently alerted the Forest Department, which found that the timber had been illegally obtained and seized it on 8 February 2021.
Ambalamedu Police initially registered the case under IPC Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating). The Kerala High Court later quashed the Section 406 charge but allowed the cheating allegation to stand.
On 15 September, the High Court directed the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Chottanikkara, to begin trial proceedings in the cheating case against the Augustine brothers from 22 September and complete the proceedings within six months.
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In 2025, the much-publicised plan to bring Lionel Messi and the Argentina national football team to Kochi ended without a match, while the event’s private partner, Anto and his company RBC, faced criminal and financial probes.
The proposal was pushed by the previous LDF government, with then Sports Minister V Abdurahiman promoting it as a major boost to the state’s football and tourism sectors. The event was projected to require no money from the public exchequer. RBC was brought in as the commercial partner.
After the UDF government assumed office, it ordered a preliminary inquiry, which flagged serious procedural and financial irregularities. One allegation was that the sponsor had been chosen without a tender or expression of interest. An initial proposal had reportedly come from GOTAD, a newly incorporated firm with ₹1 lakh in paid-up capital and an address shared with Reporter-linked entities.
Lionel Messi. Credit: x.com/leomessisite
RBC subsequently claimed that it had entered into an agreement with the Argentina Football Association. Investigators questioned the 20 December 2024 agreement, as government approval reportedly came later. Concerns were also raised over the absence of proper financial closure, FIFA and AIFF approvals, Finance Department scrutiny and verification of the funding sources.
RBC claimed to have remitted about $14.5 million, or nearly ₹126 crore, to AFA’s authorised collection agent, Tour Prod Enter LLC. The project’s projected expenditure was around ₹210 crore, raising questions about its financial viability. Investigators also examined the proposed stadium arrangements, including the reported waiver of a ₹5-crore security deposit.
The match never materialised, with the organisers later blaming AFA for the withdrawing.
The Sports Department and the GST Department flagged several irregularities in the dealings. Based on their findings, an SIT headed by ADGP P Vijayan was constituted to examine the entire transaction.
An FIR naming Augustine and RBC for alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy was subsequently filed at Kalamassery Police Station.
The SIT then conducted searches at five premises on 16 September. Documents, digital material, foreign currency and credit cards were reportedly seized.
Anto has denied wrongdoing and said he would cooperate with the investigation. Meanwhile, on 17 September, he was arrested by the Excise Department in an Abkari case and has now been remanded.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
