Villivakkam inspector held in Rs 100 crore land fraud case day after ex-AIADMK minister's arrest

CHENNAI: Villivakkam police inspector Prithviraj was arrested by officials of the Crime Branch Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) on Wednesday for being an accomplice of ex-AIADMK minister MR Vijayabhaskar in the Rs 100 crore Karur land fraud case.

The absconding former transport minister was arrested from Kerala on Tuesday by a special police team of the CB-CID in relation to the same case, sources said. He and an aide were brought back to Karur and are being interrogated in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, after the arrest of Vijayabhaskar, the CB-CID team conducted raids at his residence and that of his aides and supporters. It is said that the police seized some important documents.

Prakash, a businessman from Karur, had lodged a complaint on May 11 and named the ex-minister in it, claiming that he, along with seven others, had encroached on and grabbed a property spanning over 22 acres of land worth Rs 100 crore using counterfeit documents.

Sensing that he could be included in the case even before it was registered, Vijayabhaskar and also his brother Sekar approached the Karur District Principal Sessions Court seeking anticipatory bail, which was rejected.

Following this, Vijayabhaskar, his brother and their associates went into hiding while the CB-CID team, which had taken over the case, searched the premises they owned. Over the last 35 days, the sleuths fanned across the State and country, including Ariyalur, Perambalur, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mumbai searching for them.

Meanwhile on Monday, Vijayabhaskar moved the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court with an anticipatory bail plea, which was transferred to the principal seat in Chennai. Before the plea was considered, the team managed to trace and arrest the former minister and an associate named Praveen from Thrissur in Kerala on Tuesday.

(With Bureau inputs)