An official of actor-politician Vijay's party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has been arrested in connection with an alleged financial fraud case involving more than ₹25 crore in Pudukkottai, police said on Monday.
The accused, identified as Saravanan, is a central district executive committee member of the party and belongs to the Thiruvappur area of Pudukkottai city. He was arrested by the District Crime Branch police following multiple complaints from investors who alleged that he had collected huge sums of money from them by promising high returns.
The fraud
Saravanan had allegedly borrowed money from prominent individuals and private lenders in and around Pudukkottai over the past several years. Investigators told ANI that he collected amounts ranging from ₹30 lakh to ₹1.5 crore from different persons, often assuring them of lucrative returns on investment.
Police said that in some instances, the accused allegedly cited his mother's ill health and other personal emergencies while seeking money from lenders.
Officials alleged that Saravanan collected more than ₹25 crore from over 100 people but later failed to repay them. Victims also claimed that they had been unable to contact him on his mobile phone for the past 15 days.
{{/usCountry}}Officials alleged that Saravanan collected more than ₹25 crore from over 100 people but later failed to repay them. Victims also claimed that they had been unable to contact him on his mobile phone for the past 15 days.
{{/usCountry}}Fearing that the accused might evade repayment by allegedly misusing the name of the ruling party amid recent political developments in Tamil Nadu, several affected persons had lodged complaints with the Pudukkottai District Superintendent of Police over the past 10 days.
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Based on the complaints, the District Crime Branch launched a search operation and eventually traced and arrested Saravanan from another state. He was later brought to the District Crime Branch office in Pudukkottai for questioning.
Tension prevailed at the office of the Superintendent of Police after news of the arrest spread, with more than 100 affected persons gathering at the premises demanding action against the accused. Some protesters reportedly demanded that Saravanan be handed over to them, saying they would “take care of him themselves”.
Police officials later pacified the crowd and assured them that a formal case had been registered against the accused and that he would be produced before a court. Officials also said Saravanan would be taken into custody for further investigation and that efforts would be made to recover the money and return it to the victims.
Arrest days after Vijay becomes CM
The arrest comes just days after Vijay took oath as the Tamil Nadu chief minister. TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the state but fell short of the majority mark of 118 seats in the 234-member Assembly. The party later secured the backing of smaller regional outfits and independent MLAs to stake claim to form the government.
The election marked a major political shift in Tamil Nadu, ending the long-standing dominance of the DMK and AIADMK-led alliances in the state.