VIRUDHUNAGAR: The Srivilliputhur magistrate court remanded former AIADMK minister Rajenthra Bhalaji over two cheating cases registered against him by the District Crime Branch (DCB) police.
Based on the complaints from S Ravindran (49) of Sattur and Vijaya Nallathambi, a former AIADMK functionary, accusing him of job racketeering, the Virudhunagar DCB filed a case under sections 120b, 406, 420, 506(i) of IPC and a special team arrested the former minister on Wednesday at Hassan district in Karnataka.
In the wee hours of Thursday, Bhalaji was brought down to Virudhunagar and the DCB interrogated him for nearly three hours.
According to sources from the interrogation team, Bhalaji denied the allegations levelled against him and was not cooperating with the enquiry.
On Thursday morning, after a brief medical check-up, the former minister was produced before the Srivilliputhur Judicial Magistrate.
The advocates appearing on behalf of Rajenthra Bhalaji opposed his being taken into custody and mentioned that his case seeking anticipatory bail would be heard today by the Supreme Court.
Defending it, the government pleader submitted that Bhalaji was absconding and pointed out that eight other complaints were recieved against him of getting a huge sum of money by promising government jobs and cheating people.
Recording the submissions, Judicial Magistrate V Paramveer remanded Bhalaji to 15 days in judicial custody.
Initially, the police decided to lodge the former minister in Madurai central prison. But later, Bhalaji was taken to Tiruchy with tight escort and lodged in the Tiruchy central prison.
Speaking to reporters, advocate E Marees Kumar, appearing on behalf of the former minister, said that the anticipatory bail plea of Bhalaji will be heard by the Supreme Court today and they will be praying to the apex court to consider it as a bail petition.
He also alleged that the police had detained them nearly for four hours at Sivakasi police station in order to restrain them from appearing in the JM court.
A senior police official said that based on the outcome of Bhalaji's petition in the Supreme Court, they will seek his police custody for further investigation in the lower court.