MADURAI: V P Pandi alias ‘Attack’ Pandi (40), who was brought to Madurai on Tuesday morning by flight after his arrest on Monday in Mumbai, was taken to the Palayamkottai Central Prison after he was remanded in judicial custody until October 6, by the Fast Track Court-2 Magistrate R Barathi Raja here.
The Magistrate postponed the hearing of the petition filed by the Madurai City police requesting 10 days custody of ‘Attack’ Pandi to Wednesday. Police had told the court that since they arrested him on Monday and was brought to Madurai immediately after obtaining a transit warrant from a Mumbai court, they had no time to interrogate him.
They also cited that since Pandi was a ‘proclaimed offender’ absconding for more than two years in the murder case of ‘Pottu’ Suresh, they be granted 10 days of custody immediately. However, the Magistrate postponed the hearing to provide time for ‘Attack’ Pandi’s counsels to provide response.
He was brought to the court with face covered in a mask.
Inside the court hall, ‘Attack’ Pandi looked relaxed. The police had a tough time to keep his family and friends who had gathered outside the court hall to remain silent. Pandi also shouted at them once from the court hall asking them to move away.
Earlier, ‘Attack’ Pandi was brought from Mumbai to Chennai airport in the wee hours of Tuesday and later brought to Madurai around 7.30 am. He was taken to a government quarter in the Reserve Line area where he was kept until he was produced in the court in the evening.
‘Attack’ Pandi’s family members, including his wife P Dayal, had gathered in the area since morning. His wife’s request to meet ‘Attack’ Pandi was denied by the police. She along with the couple’s younger child P Sangamitra (4) got to see him only in the court premises later in the evening although they could not speak.
Earlier, the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court dismissed the habeas corpus petition filed by Pandi’s wife as the police informed the court that they had already produced Pandi before a magistrate in Mumbai.
CM Pats Police for Mumbai Arrest
Chennai:Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday commended the Tamil Nadu Police for arresting ‘Attack’ Pandi, the prime accused in the murder of ‘Pottu’ Suresh. Replying to the discussion on the demands for grants for Police Department in the State Assembly, she said, “The Tamil Nadu Police deserves commendation for this (arresting Pandi).” The court had declared him as a proclaimed offender.
