Tamil Nadu Police on Thursday arrested former transport minister and DMK leader KN Nehru for his alleged role in usurping a doctor's land in Trichy, around 320 km south of Chennai.
Police also arrested two others in the case.
Nehru is the third minister of the erstwhile DMK government led by M Karunanidhi to be arrested on land grab charges. Earlier, police had arrested former ministers Veerapandi Arumugam and NKKP Raja.
Nehru and his associates allegedly grabbed a 14,000 sq ft plot belonging to Dr K Srinivasan and his family in 2007. The plot is now part of a 30,000 sq ft area on which a DMK office stands.
Nehru was arrested on a complaint filed by Srinivasan, who alleged the DMK leader had taken the land by forcibly obtaining his signature on the sale deed. Nehru said the case was politically motivated and false.
A magistrate remanded him in judicial custody for 15 days and he was lodged in jail in Cuddalore.
Trichy commissioner of police EMA Masanamuthu said the doctor and his family members were assaulted after he had refused to sell the land to Nehru.
{{/usCountry}}Trichy commissioner of police EMA Masanamuthu said the doctor and his family members were assaulted after he had refused to sell the land to Nehru.
{{/usCountry}}Later, the doctor reportedly got an advance of Rs 40 lakh for the land, but was promptly robbed by some people.
"So, the doctor did not get even a single paisa for the property that is worth Rs 10 crore at today's market prices," said Masanamuthu.
Criticising the arrests, DMK president and former chief minister M Karunanidhi said, "It reminds me of Emergency days."
In the last three months, after the AIADMK came to power, more than 400 DMK functionaries have been arrested on land grab charges.
Chief minister J Jayalalithaa has set up special anti-land grab cells in accordance with a pre-poll promise to restore usurped land to rightful owners. More than 8,000 people have so far lodged complaints with the cells so far.