MADURAI: Advocate Anwardeen (65), an accused in the alleged fraudulent registration of a Rs 100-crore property belonging to the Dhandayuthapani Swamigal Mutt in Palani, died hours after being brought back to Madurai Central Prison following three days of CB-CID interrogation.
He was lodged in Madurai Central Prison after the CB-CID completed its three-day interrogation at Dindigul on Friday evening. A Prison official said the CB-CID produced a medical fitness certificate for Anwardeen when he was handed over to the prison authorities.
A source close to Anwardeen told DT Next that prison authorities informed his family members around 10.30 pm that he had suddenly developed chest pain in his cell and that he was being taken to Government Rajaji Hospital for treatment. However, 20 minutes later, the family received a message that he had died before being brought to the hospital, the source claimed.
A Judicial Magistrate Court in Dindigul on August 5 permitted the CB-CID to take four persons, including Anwardeen, for interrogation.
When Anwardeen was arrested on July 29, 2026, and produced before the Magistrate Court for remand, his advocate sought bail, stating that he was suffering from paralysis on the left side of his body, diabetes and high blood pressure, and submitted his medical records to the court.
However, the court postponed the hearing on his bail plea, which was later rejected on Friday on the ground that the police needed him for further inquiry, the source said.
The prison official said that on Friday evening, after taking his tablets, Anwardeen interacted with his fellow prisoners and went to bed around 9 pm. He suddenly complained of breathing difficulty, following which prison authorities rushed him to the hospital. However, he died around 10.40 pm, police said.
During his confinement in the prison from July 29 to August 4, the prison authorities kept him in a cell close to the prison hospital and provided regular treatment.
According to the police, Anwardeen was one of the main accused and had allegedly colluded with Justin Manikandan and Jayaprakash in the fraudulent registration of the property.
The arrested Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan was also admitted to the Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital after he complained of ill health while in CB-CID custody on Thursday
Based on a complaint lodged by the temple administration, the police registered a case against Sub-Registrar Justin Manikandan, Murugadas, a school teacher from Villupuram, Vellathurai of Tiruppur district, and Sethupathi of Palani. After the case was transferred to the CB-CID, the agency arrested 11 persons.