2 Panchayat leaders held for swindling 69 lakhs

The AIADMK men from Lalgudi submitted accounts as though the road has been laid with the entire fund, without doing any work on the ground. Since the tenure of the local bodies expired in October, they were asked to submit the accounts with the respective BDOs. While all the panchayats have submitted their reports, the account from Keezha Anbil village panchayat president Chithrasenan (43) reached them late.

Moreover, the officials received complaints that the panchayat president along with vice president Baskaran (39) had been involved in fraudulent activities with the support of panchayat secretary Prabhu.  The officials conducted an inspection and found out that the trio had swindled close to Rs 69 lakh sanctioned for road works. 

Subsequently, Lalgudi BDO Fatima Rani lodged a complaint on Saturday. Police registered a case and arrested Chithrasenan and Baskaran late on Sunday night. The police are on the look out for Prabhu. Chithrasenan is Lalgudi AIADMK joint secretary and Baskaran AIADMK panchayat secretary.

District Crime Branch police are on the lookout for an appraiser of a nationalised bank who allegedly defrauded the bank to the tune of Rs 20 lakh by pledging fake jewels for advancing jewel loans. Sources said, the authorities of Canara Bank branch at Pavattakudi located at Karaikkal near Peralam, during an inspection, found jewels pledged in the name of 10 persons out of 200 customers for gold jewel loans were fake and a detailed inquiry was ordered. Meanwhile, the investigations by bank officials found that Jagadeesan (33) of Mayiladuthurai who has been working as an assessor in the bank had pledged these fake jewels in the name of customers and got the loan amount for himself to the tune Rs 20 lakh. Based on a complaint by Ramasamy, the branch manager, inspector Selvaraj on Monday registered a case and on the lookout for Jagadeesan.