Chennai, Aug 6:
The CB-CID on Thursday arrested Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan Subramanian, one of the prime accused in the alleged fraudulent registration of a ₹100-crore property belonging to the Dhandayuthapani Swamigal Mutt in Palani.
A special police team apprehended him from a house in the Kodaikanal hills, where he was reportedly in hiding, and brought him to the CB-CID office in Dindigul for inquiry.
The arrest comes a day after the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court dismissed his bail plea, observing that granting bail at this stage would hamper the ongoing investigation. The court also cited documentary evidence submitted by the prosecution while rejecting the petitions filed by Justin Manikandan and co-accused Jayaprakash.
According to CB-CID officials, Justin Manikandan allegedly colluded with Jayaprakash and advocate Anwardeen in executing the fraudulent registration of the disputed property.
Police teams also conducted searches at Jayaprakash’s residence in Oddanchatram. Eight persons, including his wife Senbagamathi, were brought to Dindigul for questioning as part of efforts to trace his whereabouts and identify associates linked to the case.
Investigations revealed that the then Sub-Registrar, Balasundar, had recorded in the minutes book that the temple authorities had filed a writ appeal challenging the court order directing the registration of the document. Despite this, Justin Manikandan allegedly went ahead and completed the registration process by assigning a document number.
The case was initially registered by the Palani Adivaram police against Justin Manikandan, school teacher Murugadas (56) of Villupuram, and others. It was later transferred to the CB-CID, which expanded the probe and named 11 accused, including the Sub-Registrar.
Earlier, the CB-CID had arrested Murugadas, alleged purchasers Vellathurai (60) and Sethupathi (67), and advocate Anwardeen (65). All four were remanded to judicial custody at the Madurai Central Prison.
On Wednesday, the Dindigul Judicial Magistrate-I Court granted the CB-CID three days’ police custody of the four accused for further interrogation. They were subsequently brought to Dindigul for detailed questioning as the investigation continues to widen.