CHENNAI: Three persons were arrested for allegedly duping a man of Rs 29.5 lakh after promising to help him invest in real estate and secure a Rs 5 crore loan. The Tondiarpet police arrested three persons identified as Arokya Aloysius (38), T Kalpana (38) and J Kanagaraj (39) based on a complaint from the victim, D Easwar (48).

He was approached by his acquaintance, Arokya Aloysius, who convinced him to invest in real estate. Easwar gave Aloysius Rs 8.5 lakh. Later, Aloysius introduced him to his associates, Kalpana, Kanagaraj and another man, Yogi.

They claimed Malathy had contacts in a private bank and could arrange a Rs 5 crore loan. Easwar was asked to pay an advance of Rs 21 lakh, which he transferred over multiple transactions between 2022 and 2023.

When he neither received the loan nor got his money back, he filed a police complaint. The police arrested Aloysius, Kalpana, and Kanagaraj, while efforts were on to nab the others.