CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday asked the Chennai city police commissioner and the inspector of the city police’s Central Crime Branch to respond to a petition filed by a person who alleges that a person who claimed to have connections with the former state transport minister embezzled around Rs 1.14 crore from villagers in Villupuram district by promising them jobs as bus conductors and drivers.
J Sridharan, an assistant manager with the State transport department, filed the police complaint against one V S Thennarasu on March 7. According to the petition, Thennarasu had told Sridharan that he is acquainted with one Senthil Balaji, who was then the state transport minister, and the minister’s assistants - Ramesh, Shanmugam and Karthik claiming that they were Thennarasu’s close friends.
“He said he had secured employment for more than 50 persons as conductors and drivers with Tamil Nadu transport department, showing them copies of the orders for employment,” the affidavit read.
Believing him, Sridharan said he collected money from several villagers from his native village in Villupuram and paid a total of Rs 1.86 crore to Thennarasu on various dates.
The affidavit stated that Thennarasu arranged jobs for three persons as drivers after collecting Rs 6 lakh. But he soon started evading them as several villagers who paid money did not get a job. Thennarasu eventually returned an amount of Rs 66 lakh on various dates and the remaining amount of Rs 1.14 crore is still due, the affidavit said. Justice R. Mala before whom the petition came up for hearing on Monday issued a week’s notice to the officers to file a reply.