Chennai: Absconding for 17 years, fraud case accused finally in CCB net

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 city police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB).

Shanmugasundaram of Thoraipakkam was arrested on Thursday in connection with a case registered by the Fraud Investigation Wing (FIW) of the CCB in 2008.

According to the police, the case was registered based on a complaint lodged by Anand Jayaram Moorthy of Adyar, stating that Shanmugasundaram and his wife Akila, 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 CB-CID 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 FIW 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 in judicial custody, and the long-pending non-bailable warrant was executed.