MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras HC has refused bail to a couple accused of cheating a real estate businessman of Rs 50 lakh and coercing him into transferring two flats at an undervalued price, with the man allegedly posing as a personal assistant to an incumbent minister.
Dismissing the plea filed by M Jaibalaji and his wife J Kalavathi on Monday, Justice K K Ramakrishnan observed that certain individuals claiming political links often exert undue influence over real estate developers to extract illegal gratification in cash and property through false promises.
The court noted allegations of large-scale cheating involving a finance company and said incarceration alone cannot justify bail in serious economic offences, especially at an early stage of probe.
According to the prosecution, the couple in 2024 pressured complainant S Seetharaman to register two plots near Madurai Bypass Road, claiming proximity to the then mayor’s husband, Pon Vasanth, promising to secure civic amenities for the project. The plots were later registered in Kalavathi’s name for Rs 77.8 lakh. The promises were allegedly not fulfilled, and threats followed, leading to a police complaint in 2025.