Delhi Police team leaves for Chennai with Dhinakaran, aide

The police had secured warrants from a court to search their Chennai residences.

A Delhi Police team investigating the case of alleged attempt by AIADMK Amma leader TTV Dhinakaran and his aide Mallikarjuna to bribe an Election Commission official to get the ''Two Leaves'' symbol of the AIADMK for their faction, on Thursday travelled to Chennai with them to gather details about the “illegal channels” used for transferring money from Chennai to Delhi.

The Crime Branch team reportedly took the 9.55 a.m Air India flight along with Dhinakaran and Mallikarjuna. The police had secured warrants from a city court to search their Chennai residences.

The police will be confronting both with arrested middleman Sukesh Chandrasekar to get the details of the money trail and phone conversations between them.

The police will try to recover the mobile phones through which Dhinakaran used to communicate with Chandrasekar.

Dhinakaran was arrested on Tuesday night after four days of questioning.

Earlier, the police said Chandrasekar had struck a deal for Rs. 50 crore to help the AIADMK faction keep the ‘Two Leaves’ symbol. He had Rs 1.30 crore in cash in his possession when he was arrested from a five star hotel in Delhi on April 16.

Dhinakaran was arrested for allegedly arranging the amount from undisclosed sources and getting it transferred from Chennai to Delhi through illegal channels, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madhur Verma.

Mallikarjuna was arrested for allegedly helping Dhinakaran transfer this money from Chennai to Delhi, he said.

The police are verifying whether Chandrasekar had approached any Election Commission official for getting a favourable verdict for the Dhinakaran faction.

The AIADMK (Amma) leader had come under the scanner of the police after Chandrasekar’s arrest.

Dhinakaran, who was appointed deputy general secretary of the AIADMK by party chief V.K. Sasikala, has been isolated in his party amid moves to merge the rival factions led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisami and his predecessor O. Panneerselvam.

A powerful section of the ruling AIADMK (Amma) recently revolted against the Sasikala-Dhinakaran leadership. The development came after Mr. Panneerselvam, who is leading the rival faction, demanded the the ouster of Sasikala and Dhinakaran as a condition for merger talks.


Source: THEHINDU