CHENNAI: The Salem police on Saturday arrested ‘Lottery King’ Santiago Martin in the city in connection with a land grab case.
Police said Martin had obtained anticipatory bail in a Rs 25-crore land grab case and since Thursday, had been appearing at the Central Crime Branch at the Suburban Police Commissionerate to sign in the register there.
On Saturday, when he was on his way to the Suburban Commissionerate, the Salem police arrested him on a fresh complaint - filed by two persons Balaji and Prakash alleging that he had sold their 5,700 sq feet property at Salem without their knowledge.
Balaji and Prakash, who wanted to open a lottery agency in Salem a few years ago, had approached Martin. They had then given Martin the power of attorney for their 5,700 sq ft property in place of the deposit money, the police said. Later, when the government banned lotteries in the State, the duo asked Martin to return the land. But Martin claimed he had sold the land.
The duo had lodged a complaint at the Kannan
Kurichi police station in 2009. On Friday, they filed another complaint, based on which he was arrested on Saturday along with two others in the city.
Martin was arrested in Chennai by a team of officials led by Commissioner of Police, K Sokkalingam.
Six others, including three women, were also arrested in connection with the case in various locations in the State.
The co-accused Benjamin and Venkatesh were picked up along with Martin in Chennai. Babu and Rajeswari were arrested by another team in Salem, while two others were nabbed in Patinakathan Pudur in Ramanathapuram district.
One of them was said to be the wife of the PA of former DMK Minister Thangam Thennarasu. But, the police personnel did not reveal any information in this regard. All the arrersted were produced before the III Judicial Magistrage Muralidharan in Salem. However, police did not say in which jail Martin would be lodged.
The complaint in the Rs 25-crore land grab case, for which Martin had obtained anticipatory bail, was lodged at the Nazarethpet police station by Anguraj. Martin had asked Anguraj to sell his 2.35 acre land, but the latter refused. Later, Anguraj lodged a complaint with the police alleging that Martin had approached the former’s uncle and usurped the land.
Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR against seven persons, including Martin. The case was later transferred to the Central Crime Branch attached to the suburban police commissionerate.