KKSSR KIN(E.V.P) HELD FOR FRAUD

Chennai, May 16: The son of educationist and real estate owner E.V. Perumal Swamy, a relative of health minister K.K.S.S.R. Ramachandran, was arrested on Wednesday for alleged land fraud. The police is on the look out for Mr Swamy. Apart from Santhosh Reddy, who is Swamy's son, the police has also arrested one of his associates. Reddy's sister is married to the minister's son. Swamy is also a self-styled godman. According to the police, the arrest was made on a court direction after a real estate developer Ravi Appaswamy of Appaswamy Real Estate lodged a petition alleging fraud by Swamy's family. According to the comb plaint, Mr Appaswamy had brought 26 grounds of land for Rs 31 crore on 100 feet Road in Koyambedu in 2005. A few months ago when the deal was completed as per the agreement, Swamy and his son allegedly asked for Rs 60 crore as land prices had sky rocketed in the city. When he refused, the sellers started threatening the buyers. Brushing aside the allegations that the police was being soft on the accused, the Mambalam police claimed that it was taking the case seriously. "The accused were booked for their attempt to cheat and as well as forging documents," the police said. Swamy's family had forged the document to show that the same 26 grounds of land had been sold to another person before 2005. "They tried to show that the land was already sold to another person before it was sold to Appaswamy Real Estate. They wanted to show the buyers that the land never belonged to them. They tried to threaten the buyers and get additional money from them," the police said. The police said Swamy was the brain behind the crime. "We are on the look out for him," claimed an officer, who downplayed the political pressure the police faced when it took up the case. The police produced Santhosh and his associate Perumal Reddy in a Saidapet court on Wednesday evening where they were remanded to judicial custody.