Chennai extortion case: Another tax official in police net, arrest tally reaches 8
Income Tax Department
CHENNAI: After two sales tax officers were arrested on Monday in the extortion racket involving Income Tax staff and city police personnel, another government official with the Commercial Taxes department was caught in police's net on Tuesday.
The arrested official was identified as Janakiraman of Kodungaiyur. Police sources said that Janakiraman was involved in the extortion that took place in Thousand Lights police station limits by the multi-department gang.
On Monday, police arrested Suresh (49) and Babu (41) - both serving as deputy sales tax officers with the state government. Their roles came to light when police took custody of the accused and interrogated them in connection with the theft of Rs 15 lakh from a trader near Triplicane two months ago, in which two personnel with the Chennai police and three Income Tax department staff were arrested.
During the interrogation, police learnt that the accused were also involved in a similar robbery in the Thousand Lights area just a week before the Triplicane incident. While the Triplicane incident occurred on December 16, the gang pulled off the Thousand Lights extortion on December 11, in which they had stolen Rs 40 lakh and returned Rs 20 lakh to the victim.
I-T inspector Damodharan, I-T officer Pradeep, superintendent Prabhu, SSI Rajasingh of the law and order wing of the Triplicane police station - and SSI Sunny Lloyd of Saidapet police were arrested in December 2024 based on a complaint by Mohammed Ghouse of Old Washermenpet in the Triplicane incident, were arrested again in the first week of February in connection with the Thousand Lights case.
8 officials, multiple swindlings
I-T inspector Damodharan, I-T officer Pradeep, superintendent Prabhu, and SSI Rajasingh of Triplicane police were held initially on December 17 for defrauding a Triplicane trader of Rs 15 lakh
SSI Sunny Lloyd of Saidapet, who was part of the gang and absconding, was held on January 15 from Dehradun
Interrogation revealed that the Triplicane incident was not their first rodeo and a network beyond the five
They conducted a similar operation on December 11 in Thousand Lights
Deputy sales tax officers Suresh and Babu were held on February 24 for the Thousand Lights case
Janakiraman, a commercial taxes officer, was caught on February 25
