CHENNAI: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Greater Chennai Police has arrested a key suspect who had been evading arrest for 13 years in a major land fraud case involving property valued at approximately Rs 3 crore.
The arrested individual, identified as Balasubramanian (64), alias Shanmugavel, of Sivakasi, Virudhunagar District, was apprehended in the Triplicane area on Wednesday. He is the prime accused in a case registered by the CCB in 2012.
The case pertains to the illegal acquisition of a 5,114 sq ft vacant plot of land in Vijayanallur village near Padianallur, Tiruvallur District. The plot belonged to the family of the complainant MP Sivakumar. The police alleged that Balasubramanian, along with co-accused KPS Krishnan (arrested in December 2012) and others, used impersonation and forged documents to fraudulently claim ownership of the property worth Rs 3 crore and seize it illegally.
Following the directives of the Greater Chennai Police Commissioner, a special team was formed to track down long-absconding suspects in pending cases. Balasubramanian had managed to evade capture for 13 years, frequently changing his locations between Sivakasi, Chennai, and Medavakkam. Acting on specific intelligence gathered by the special team, he was finally located and arrested in Triplicane.
Balasubramanian was produced before the Magistrate, CCB & CBCID, Egmore Court, and remanded in judicial custody. He is currently lodged in the Puzhal Central Prison, Chennai.