CHENNAI: A 55-year-old man who had been absconding for nearly 17 years after failing to appear before a court in a property fraud case was arrested by a special team of the Central Crime Branch (CCB), Chennai Police.
The accused, Shanmugasundaram of Neelankarai Link Road, Seevaram, Thoraipakkam, was arrested on Thursday in connection with a case registered by the Fraud Investigation Wing (FIW) of the Central Crime Branch in 2008.
According to the police, the case was registered based on a complaint lodged by Anand Jayaram Moorthy of Arunachalapuram Main Road, Adyar. In his complaint, he alleged that Akila and her husband, Shanmugasundaram, both residents of Adyar, had attempted to usurp his property by preparing forged documents, impersonating individuals and forging signatures.
After completing the investigation, the CCB filed a charge sheet before the Special Metropolitan Magistrate Court for CCB and CBCID cases at Egmore. While co-accused Akila has been regularly appearing before the court, Shanmugasundaram stopped attending the proceedings from 2009 onwards.
As he remained absconding for nearly 17 years, the court issued a non-bailable warrant directing the police to secure his presence.
A special team headed by officers of the Fraud Investigation Wing tracked down the accused through sustained surveillance and intelligence gathering before arresting him.
After interrogation, Shanmugasundaram was produced before the Special Metropolitan Magistrate Court at Egmore. The court remanded him to judicial custody, and the long-pending non-bailable warrant was executed.