Kola Mohan's house of cards

Syed Amin Jafri in Vijayawada

Loyola Gardens in Vijaywada is an upmarket residential area just across the bustling Ring Road near Gunadala. On a leisurely Saturday afternoon, the place presents a picture of quietude.

On the approach road to the colony, some youths are gathered near a telephone booth. As one asks them for directions to Kola Venkata Krishna Mohan's house, the group breaks into a chuckle.

Quite obviously, they have been following news reports of Kola Mohan's adventures that have become something of a folklore in Andhra Pradesh. Newspapers, magazines, television channels have been full of stories about how Kola Mohan fooled the entire state by claiming that he had won the $ 19.8 million Euro Lottery.

It is not difficult to locate Kola Mohan's house. The imposing three-storied building with a huge iron gate and granite work quite fits his image -- the man who liked all the good things in life.

At the gate a plainclothes policeman makes inquiries about the identity of the visitor and the purpose of the visit. He has been posted at the bungalow to keep an eye on Kola Mohan's family and also the people visiting them.

Inside, two servant boys (employees of a private security agency) repeat the questions asked by the policeman. Satisfied by the answers one of them goes upstairs to find out if ''madam (Kola Mohan's wife, Kola Brahmaramba) is willing to talk.''

After a couple of minutes, he returns to tell that "madam is not keeping well. She does not want to meet anyone. The children are also taking rest and they will not talk to strangers." Requests and assurances that it would not take more than ''a few minutes'' are met by a wall of silence.

Disappointed, one settles down for what would be the second best way to get details for this story -- talking to the neighbours.

"Do you know Kola Mohan?"

"Oh, yes. First, he brought fame to this little-known place and now a big dose of notoriety," says a youth.

"We do not know much about him since he moved in towards the end of August. We have rarely interacted with him. We came to know about him when the police began frequenting his house a fortnight ago,'' chips in a shop-keeper.

Neighbours say police parties descended on Kola Mohan's house almost everyday. First they came in search of him and later to confiscate incriminating documents from the premises after his arrest on November 29.

Jeep-loads of policemen used to come to the area and conduct searches at his house. Curious onlookers and some people claiming to be victims of Kola Mohan's fraud would also gather outside his house.

There are many stories about Kola Mohan doing the rounds in the colony. One is that he bought the house for Rs 4 million and spent another Rs 1.5 million refurbishing it. "We hear he has a lot of electronic gadgets in the house. He is said to have built a billiards room and a card room too. Once, he was caught by the police while playing cards with his friends and lakhs of rupees were seized from the house," one youth claims.

The Vijaywada police has made an inventory of goods at Kola Mohan's home. These include beds (Rs 100,000), swings (Rs 60,000), television sets (Rs 200,000) and an exquisite bar cabinet (Rs 100,000). Kola Mohan also owned seven cars.

The police department has also seized several expensive gifts presented to Kola Mohan by the town's rich and famous. Estimates put the cost of the house at Rs 2 million. Sources indicated that Kola Mohan was yet to pay the full amount to its owner.

Kola Mohan also maintained a well appointed office near the Ram Mandir on Eluru Road. The office, which used to bustle with activity till only a few months back, wears a deserted look today.

He also had half a dozen telephone connections (three phones and a fax phone at his office and two phones at his home), besides a cell phone.

Kola Mohan also maintained an e-mail address: vkola@england.com. That probably was the beginning of his dream that has now turned into a nightmare.

Before he moved into his Loyola Gardens house, Kola Mohan stayed in a rented flat in Indrakeeladri Apartments at Lalithanagar near Bhavanipuram. "Kola Mohan never had a house of his own till he acquired the one at Loyola Gardens colony," says a top police officer.

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