Keralite arrested in Kodanadu heist case

Udhagamandalam: Police on Tuesday arrested a man from Kerala, a day after taking him into custody, on the charge of arranging the gang involved in the break-in and killing of a security guard of Kodanadu estate bungalow of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Manoj alias Samiyar was produced before Kotagiri Magistrate C Sridhar who remanded him to 15 days judicial remand.

Police said Manoj had arranged the gang members from his state to carry out the heist at the bungalow on April 24.

With this, the number of those arrested in the case has risen to five. The four arrested earlier hailed from Thrissur in Kerala and their involvement in the crime had been 'proved' through meticulous investigation and collection of scientific evidence, police had said.

Manoj, allegedly having links with hawala transactors, was interrogated in the presence of Deputy Inspector General Deepak Tomar and Nilgiris district Superintendent of Police Murali Rambha at the Kotagiri police station yesterday after he was detained at the border town of Walayar in Kerala.

The investigation so far has revealed the involvement of 11 persons, including the main conspirator Kanagaraj, former driver of Jayalalithaa.

Kanagaraj was killed in a road accident in Salem while his alleged accomplice Sayan has been hospitalised after he met with an accident in Kerala, both occurring on April 29.

The gang members had planned the dacoity based on Kanakaraj's information that there was a huge amount of cash in the bungalow, police said.

The Kodanadu estate figures in a disproportionate assets case involving jailed AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala and late Jayalalithaa, among others.

Meanwhile, Sayan was today questioned by a Kerala police team at a private hospital in Coimbatore in connection with the road mishap in which he was injured and his wife and daughter were killed near Thrissur, police said.

Sayan, who was driving the car, reportedly told police that the accident occurred as he was deprived of sleep in the previous days, they said.