NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police Crime Branch on Monday booked general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) TTV Dinakaran for his alleged role in trying to influence the Election Commission of India regarding the party’s poll symbol allotment.
Dinakaran was named based on the interrogation of Sukesh Chandrashekhar who was arrested late evening yesterday and is currently under eight days of police custody. An FIR under the section of IPC 170(personating as a public servant) and 120b (criminal conspiracy) and 8 Prevention of Corruption (PoC) was registered, which names Dinakaran.
A team of Delhi police officials will leave for Chennai tomorrow to take Dinakaran under police custody who has been summoned to join the probe in the matter. After the interrogation, Chandrashekhar was produced in Tis Hazari Court. Acting as a middle man Sukesh was offered a deal of Rs 50 crore by Dinakaran to get the ‘two leaves’ poll symbol of AIADMK after it was frozen by the EC, claimed police.
“The money was transferred to Chandrashekhar through a Chandini Chowk based Hawala trader we are also investigating the role of an EC official who was in touch with him. After a tip off from our informers that Sukesh was in touch with ECI officials for Dinakaran we arrested him, they( Dinakaran and Chandrashekhar) know each other for the past four years and have met several times ” said a Delhi police official.
According to the police, 27 year old Chandrashekhar has had a history with the police and is involved in 10 cases ranging from con, forgery and hawala trade operations.
The Delhi police allegedly have documentary evidence of phone call between Chandrashekhar and Dinakaran in which the latter talks about attempts to bribe the Election Commission. Some documents and identity cards have also been recovered in connecting with the crime.
Of the total deal amount, Chandrashekhar has already received Rs 10 crore. The rest of the money was to be transferred in a time bound manner. Two cars of Mercedes-Benz and BMW make have also been recovered.
Sources in the police say Chandrashekhar use to con people posing as a politician and Member of Parliament, one sticker of MP has also been found in his car. He has had earlier brushes with the law and is under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and the Bangalore Development Authority. Arrested at the age of 17 for a crime, he came to Delhi in 2011, use to check into hotels posing as MP.
Chandrashekhar’s on the pretext of getting her film contracts married a model, who has also been arrested by the police.
The seat of R.K Nagar in Tamil Nadu fell vacant after the death of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha two factions of the party fought for the symbol. With Dinakaran fighting from the seat from the faction led by Sasikala. The Election Commission cancelled the scheduled elections saying the norms were “seriously vitiated” and heavy use of money power in the elections.