Manaf, the lorry owner that employed Arjun, clarified that he has not exploited the situation of Arjun's disappearance. He expresses solidarity with Arjun's family and apologizes for any unintentional hurt caused. Manaf welcomes any legal action and emphasizes that he has not engaged in any fundraising.
Kozhikode: Manaf, the owner of the lorry company that employed Arjun, who died in Shiruru landslide, addressed the controversy surrounding his involvement in the search efforts. Manaf emphasized his support for Arjun's family and apologized for any unintentional hurt caused. Manaf said he wanted to bring Arjun home safely and urged against unnecessary controversies. He emphasized that he has not engaged in any fundraising and is not in a position to beg anyone for money.
Manaf explained that he and his brother, Mubeen, are running a family business. Manaf acknowledged that his way of handling the situation might have caused distress to Arjun's family and apologized for it. He reiterated his support for the family and wished for the controversy to end. Manaf explained that he and his brother, Mubeen, are like sons to Arjun's mother. According to Manaf, he took over as head of the family after his father's demise.
Manaf acknowledged that his handling of the situation may have caused distress to Arjun's family and apologized. He reiterated his commitment to supporting the family and ending the controversy.
Manaf shared an incident where people offered him money during a function he attended in Mukkam. They suggested giving the money to Arjun's son. Manaf inquired about the son's bank account details, not with any malicious intent but to ensure proper assistance. He apologized if this action caused any distress to the family and reiterated his commitment to not doing anything that would hurt them.
He addressed the issue of using Arjun's photo on his YouTube channel, which the family found objectionable. He removed the photo and apologized for any offense caused. Manaf explained that he started the channel to provide timely updates and had named it after himself as the lorry owner. He clarified that he hasn't used the channel since Arjun was found. Initially, the channel had 10,000 subscribers, and he had planned to discontinue it once the mission was accomplished. However, after Arjun's family raised concerns, the subscriber count surged to 2.5 lakhs. Manaf expressed disappointment over people blowing the matter out of proportion and offered to hand over the channel for charitable purposes if anyone was willing to manage it.
Mubeen, Manaf's brother, clarified that they did not repair Arjun's bike. He explained that Arjun had left the bike at their office and requested them to get it repaired. Arjun himself had paid for the repairs, contrary to the false claims being circulated. Manaf also addressed the issue of the INR 250 contribution collected by Arjun's action committee for a trip to Thiruvananthapuram. He urged people not to misinterpret it as fundraising.
Manaf confirmed that Arjun's monthly salary was INR 75,000, sometimes even more, and occasionally less, including allowances. He stated that they have proper records, including ledgers signed by Arjun, to substantiate this. However, he requested not to drag this matter into further controversy.
He expressed his distress over the criticism faced by him and his family due to the allegations made in the press meet. He called for an end to the negativity and apologized to the family if his earlier statement about naming his lorry after Arjun had caused any hurt. He assured them that he would not proceed with that plan.