SRM University Chancellor TR Pachamuthu has reportedly been arrested by the Crime Branch of the Chennai police.
This comes after more than 100 students said that they had paid money for obtaining a medical seat in SRM college, but were not admitted.
Pachamuthu, who is Chancellor of SRM University and the founder of Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) party – an ally of the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) – was summoned by the police for interrogation late on Thursday night. None of the police officers, however, have confirmed the arrest.
The case started unravelling after Pachamuthu’s close aide Madhan went missing in May this year.
He has reportedly been arrested under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention).
S Madhan, a film producer and Managing Partner of Vendhar Movies, had mysteriously gone missing in May this year, leaving behind a suicide note.
Immediately after his disappearance, an aspiring medical student’s parent, Venkatesan, filed a complaint at the Chennai police commissioner’s office alleging that Madhan was yet to return the Rs 52 lakh taken from him for brokering a medical seat at SRM University.
According to sources, all the complaints put together amounted to more than Rs 70 crore and was allegedly collected by his close aide.
The arrest comes after the Madras High Court asked the Chennai police if there were political reasons behind not arresting Pachamuthu.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)