Fake I-T sleuth held for bid to con DMK MLA

Chennai: Chennai city police on Tuesday arrested a fake income tax investigator, who demanded Rs 15 lakh from an Opposition DMK MLA promising that he would thwart a possible income tax raid against Pallavaram MLA E. Karunanidhi.

According to police sources, the MLA received a phone call on his mobile on Monday night from Saravana Perumal of Thiruvottiyur, who introduced him as an investigating officer attached to Income tax department. The accused conned the MLA by reiterating the MLA’s political growth and spoke about the properties owned by the elected representative. Perumal insisted that the MLA come alone to a restaurant on arterial GST road with '30 lakh. After first round of talks the ‘fake official’ reduced his offer from '30 lakh to '15 lakh. For the second round of talks and cash delivery, the MLA asked Perumal to come near a petrol bunk in the same area. However, the MLA in his police complaint claimed that he did not give any money to the accused during the talks, but lodged a police complaint by midnight.

Subsequently a team led by Tambaram assistant commissioner Asokan was formed and the team nabbed the accused near Poonamallee, when he was driving towards north Chennai in his two-wheeler.

In his complaint the MLA, who was earlier the chairman of the Pallavaram municipality narrated the ordeal he faced from the Saravana Perumal.

Police arrested Perumal under four IPC sections - 491, 420, 511 and 506 (1) and produced him before Tambaram magistrate and was later remanded to Puzhal prison. Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that Saravana Perumal was suffering from huge loans and to get relief from the financial crisis, designed a trap to con the MLA. However the legislator outsmarted Perumal who had also acted in a few TV serials.