Rs 100 crore Palani temple land fraud: Key accused dies hours after CB-CID interrogation

MADURAI: A 65-year-old accused in the alleged fraudulent registration of a Rs 100-crore property belonging to the Dhandayuthapani Swamigal Mutt in Palani died hours after being brought back to Madurai Central Prison on Friday evening following three days of CB-CID interrogation at Dindigul.

He was lodged in Madurai Central Prison after the CB-CID completed its three-day interrogation at Dindigul on Friday evening. A Prison official said the CB-CID produced a medical fitness certificate for Anwardeen when he was handed over to the prison authorities.

A source close to Anwardeen told DT Next that prison authorities informed his family members around 10.30 pm that he had suddenly developed chest pain in his cell and that he was being taken to Government Rajaji Hospital for treatment. However, 20 minutes later, the family received a message that he had died before being brought to the hospital, the source claimed.

A Judicial Magistrate Court in Dindigul on August 5 permitted the CB-CID to take four persons, including Anwardeen, for interrogation.

When Anwardeen was arrested on July 29 and produced before the magistrate court for remand, his advocate had sought bail on the grounds that he was suffering from paralysis affecting the right side of his body, diabetes, and high blood pressure. His medical records were also submitted to the court.

However, the court postponed the hearing on his bail plea, which was later rejected on Friday, stating that the police required his custody for further inquiry.

Ever since he was remanded in judicial custody, Anwardeen had been kept at the prison hospital, where doctors regularly monitored his health. Prison authorities also provided assistance to him in using the toilet, the source said.

A prison official said that on Friday evening, after taking his medication, Anwardeen went to bed around 9 p.m. He suddenly complained of breathing difficulty, following which prison authorities rushed him to the hospital. However, he died around 10.40 pm, the source said.

The CB-CID police said they had taken Anwardeen for interrogation only after producing a medical fitness certificate before the magistrate. “Moreover, his lawyer and a family member met him, and a doctor checked his medical condition while he was in our custody for three days,” a police officer said.

After the post-mortem examination was completed, his body was handed over to his family, who took it to his native village of Manur, near Palani, for the last rites.

“Anwardeen, who was already suffering from various health ailments, succumbed to the psychological strain caused by the three-day interrogation while in police custody,” claimed people close to him.

He was hopeful that the Magistrate Court would grant him bail, but the rejection of his bail plea caused him further stress, they said. “Anwardeen had been taking medication for high blood pressure for the last 10 years and was also on medication for paralysis affecting the right side of his body,” the source said citing his medical records.

As he was in judicial remand, District First Additional Court Judge Rajaprabhu is conducting an inquiry into Anwardeen’s death. He first inspected the body at the hospital and later held inquiries with his family members, and subsequently visited the Madurai Central Prison as part of the inquiry.

Following this, a special team of doctors from Madurai, Dindigul, and Virudhunagar districts began the post-mortem examination at the hospital’s mortuary in the presence of judge Rajaprabhu.

Before the autopsy, Anwardeen’s body was subjected to a full-body scan. The cause of death would be ascertained based on the post-mortem report and forensic examination, officials said.

While advocates close to Anwardeen, who accompanied his family to the GRH, claimed that he had been wrongly implicated in the case, police maintained that he was the main accused and had colluded with Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan Subramanian and Jayaprakash in the alleged fraudulent registration of the property.

Justin Manikandan has also been admitted to the Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital after he complained of ill health while in CB-CID custody on Thursday. He will continue to receive treatment at the hospital while remaining in judicial custody until his condition improves.

Based on a complaint lodged by the temple administration, the police registered a case against Justin Manikandan, Murugadas, a schoolteacher from Villupuram, Vellathurai of Tirupur, and Sethupathi of Palani. After the case was transferred to the CB-CID, the agency arrested 11 persons.