THOOTHUKUDI: The Thoothukudi South police on Tuesday arrested Pasumpon Muthuramalingam Thevar Makkal Pathukappu Sangam president K Esakkiraja (46) on a complaint of extortion bid lodged against him by a jeweller. The members of the Sangam agitated in front of the station during the arrest, forcing the deployment of a heavy police force.
Police say Esakkiraja was arrested following a complaint by the jewellery showroom’s managing director, Maharaja, for intervening in a dispute the firm had with his aide M Esakkiraj (33) over the purity of a gold ornament he had purchased from the jewellery located in Thoothukudi city on January 7, 2023.
The jeweller also alleged Esakkiraja demanded Rs 1 crore to withdraw a complaint Esakkiraj had filed against his company, which is said to be a major one. Police registered an FIR under BNS Section 308(4) against Esakkiraja on charges of extortion.
Earlier, Esakkiraj (33) had lodged a complaint with the Thoothukudi Central police against the jewellery, claiming it had sold him spurious gold ornaments that did not meet the stipulated standards.
Esakkiraj’s complaint states the ornament weighed 40.10 grams but it was returned to him by a financing firm where he had pledged it later after an audit revealed that the ornament did not meet the company standards. When Esakkiraj raised the matter with the aforementioned jewellery, the latter took it back after paying Rs 4.22 lakh, states the complaint.
He also claimed that the jeweller tested the same ornament in his presence on September 11 which showed a lower purity of Au 87.71/21.1K, as against the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) purity of 91.6/22K, states the complaint.
Based on the sample test, Esakkiraj lodged a complaint with the Thoothukudi Central police, Bureau of Indian Standards, National Consumer Helpline, the Central Consumer Protection Authority on September 13, seeking a detailed investigation. The issue is under investigation, said sources. Meanwhile, the Thoothukudi South police booked a case against Esakkiraj under BNS Section 318(4) for not paying Rs 4.22 lakh for the said ornament. Esakkiraja was remanded, whereas his aide Esakkiraj was released on bail.