Another hawala operator arrested in Dinakaran case

New Delhi: A 'hawala' operator involved in a graft case against sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran, who is accused of attempting to bribe Election Commission officials, has been arrested, a Delhi Police official said on Thursday.

The alleged hawala operator, Lalit Kumar alias Babu Bhai, was presented before Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry who remanded him in police custody till May 20.

Public Prosecutor Balbir Singh said Kumar's custody is required to recover the mobile phone he used to communicate with other accused.

The police accused Lalit Kumar of giving Rs 1 crore in unaccounted money to middleman Sukesh Chandrashekar through an unidentified person. They claimed the money was meant to bribe Election Commission (EC) officials to get an order, favouring allotment of the frozen 'two leaves' poll symbol to the AIADMK faction led by V.K. Sasikala.

The symbol matter is pending before the Election Commission. Dhinakaran is a nephew of the jailed AIADMK General Secretary, Sasikala.

Meanwhile, the court upheld as "maintainable" the Delhi Police plea for permission to get voice samples of Dinakaran and Chandrashekhar to authenticate a recorded conversation between them. The court directed the investigating officer to take requisite steps to obtain consent of the accused for giving their voice sample.

"I deem it expedient in the interest of justice to allow the investigating officer to take requisite steps to obtain consent of accused for giving his voice sample for comparison from Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL)," the court said.

Chandrashekhar was arrested on April 16. 

On April 25, the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested Dinakaran for having tried to pay Rs 50 crore in bribes to the the poll officials through middleman Chandrashekar to get the 'two leaves' poll symbol. 

Dinakaran, Chandrashekhar, Mallikarjuna, a long-time friend of Dinakaran, and 'hawala' operator from Delhi Naresh Jain are already in judicial custody till May 29.