Chennai police arrest Honorary Secretary Gen of Indo Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industries

CHENNAI: The Chennai police arrested the honorary secretary-general of Indo-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (IRCCI) for allegedly abusing his position and aiding fraudsters who cheated a city businessman of Rs 7.3 crore promising him Russian government contracts worth Rs 2,000 crore.

Earlier in November, the Central Crime Branch of the city police had arrested a retired revenue official and a serving government official among a nine-member gang in connection with the scam.

The main accused, C Arunraj (38), floated a company, Indo-Russian Business Associates (IRBA), and sent emissaries to the businessman claiming that the Russian government has proposed to invest in India and Arunraj could arrange projects as he was a delegate of the Indo-Russian Chamber of Commerce.

Further probe allegedly revealed the role of P Thangappan (68), the honorary secretary-general of IRCCI, who fraudulently gave the post of deputy honorary secretary general to Arunraj and also allowed him to run his office from the Russian Cultural Centre, Chennai, after collecting a monthly rent of Rs 1.58 lakh since 2021 without the knowledge of the Russian Cultural Centre authorities.

Further probe has revealed that he had also taken a lump sum amount of Rs 4 crore from the main accused, said the police.

Thangappan was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody.

According to the police, Arunraj sent Viswanathan, a Tahsildar deputed to Tasmac, and Dharman, a retired VAO, to lure the man with business interests in solar energy and jewellery certification. Meetings were held at a star hotel in RA Puram to convince him, police investigations revealed.

“Arunraj lived in a beach house on ECR, and hired armed security guards and roamed around in a luxury car with the Russian flag on it to convince potential investors that he is the real deal," said a police officer.

The police recovered 476 sovereigns of jewellery, 400 kg of silver, Rs 14.5 lakh cash, and 11 luxury cars, including BMW, Audi, Mercedes, etc. from the accused.

Meanwhile, the city police have received another complaint from a businessman in Tirupur, who alleged that Arunraj and his accomplices cheated him of Rs 4.4 crore, in which he was arrested again recently.