Kodanad case: Probe takes different turn after questioning Jaya aide

COIMBATORE: The Kodanad murder and heist case that took place at the summer bungalow of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Late J. Jayalalithaa, and her close associate V.K. Sasikala, has taken a different turn after questioning Arumugaswamy, a prominent businessman and a close aide of the former Chief Minister.

The special team of Tamil Nadu police questioned Senthil Kumar, Managing Director of Shenthil Papers and Boards Private Limited on Thursday and later on Friday the police asked his father O. Arumugaswamy to appear before them. The team on questioning the father-son duo has decided to take the investigation to a different angle, sources in the team told IANS.

According to information available, the duo was questioned after a few documents related to Income Tax that were seized by the IT department from the premises of Senthil and his father were those found missing from the Kodanad estate bungalow.

Sources in the police team told IANS that after the questioning of father and son, the team is brainstorming among themselves and a decision is being taken to take a different angle to the probe.

Arumugaswamy was a powerful person during Jayalalithaa's days and the administration of Kodanad bungalow was under him. He had several business interests including sand mining and was considered the conscience keeper of both the late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and Sasikala, former interim general secretary of the AIADMK.

The Kodanad murder and heist case that took place in April 23-24, 2017 led to the killing of a guard at the estate, Om Bahadhur while another guard Krishna Thapa was grievously injured. Police found that a former driver of late Jayalalithaa, Kanagaraj was the kingpin of the dacoity at the estate bungalow and had convinced his accomplices that crores of rupees were parked in the estate bungalow.

Five days after the loot and murder, Kanagaraj was run over by a speeding truck at the Salem-Chennai highway. At the same time another accused, Sayan met with an accident in Palakkad when a truck rammed into his car killing his wife and daughter on the spot. A few months after these incidents, a computer operator of the Kodanad estate bungalow, Dileep Kumar committed suicide at his residence.

The DMK had during its 2021 election campaign made a promise that it would reopen the Kodanad murder and heist case and that it would not allow anyone involved in the crime unpunished. After forming the government, Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin constituted a special police team to probe the Kodanad estate murder.