S. Madhan of Vendhar Movies was planning to set up an ashram in Devprayag in Uttarakhand, according to officers of the Central Crime Branch (CCB). He was apprehended on Sunday in Tirupur at an associate’s residence.
According to sources, he had land in Devprayag and was planning to set up an ashram there to evade arrest.
The CCB recovered documents relating to the purchase of property from him. Madhan was arrested after a five-and-a-half month search, for his involvement in the multi-crore medical admission scam. He was a close associate of SRM University former Chancellor T.R. Pachamuthu, though the latter distanced himself from Madhan subsequently.
He was arrested by the CCB on a complaint by K. Jayachandran of Virugambakkam, alleging that he met Madhan at his office in Doshi Garden, Vadapalani, and paid Rs. 53 lakh capitation for an MBBS seat for his son through Babu, a functionary of Indhiya Jananayaga Kacthi, founded by Mr. Pachamuthu.
Later, as the National Eligibility Entrance Test was declared mandatory for medical admissions, Madhan went missing with the cash, Mr. Jayachandran complained. After arresting him in August, the CCB alleged that Pachamuthu, and Madhan together accepted capitation from MBBS aspirants who sought admissions to the SRM Medical College in Kattankulathur and of Chennai Medical College in Tiruchi.
The investigation also revealed that even after receipt of capitation fees, they failed to give admission and to return the amount they received from the complainants, police officials had said.
The CCB is now contemplating taking action against those persons who gave him shelter at different places such as Manipur, Roorkee and Tirupur.
All his accomplices, including women, will be brought under the radar of the investigating team soon, said sources.
Meanwhile, the CCB has moved a petition at the Metropolitan Magistrate Court in Saidapet, seeking 10-day custodial interrogation of Madhan. The police said they had no time to interrogate Madhan between his arrrest and remand. Hence, they said a 10-day custodial interrogation was very necessary.
Madhan should be interrogated further to find out where he had stashed the money received as capitation fees. “More documents have to be recovered from him and the interrogation with him is likely to throw light on the collection of capitation fee, which is illegal,” said a police officer.
Meanwhile, Madhan has moved a bail petition before the magistrate court. He will be produced before the court on Wednesday when the two petitions come up for hearing.
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