Chennai: P Rajagopal suffers heart attack

Chennai: Saravana Bhavan owner P. Rajagopal, sentenced to life imprisonment in the case of abduction and murder of his employee's son-in-law in 2001 in order to force the victim's wife to marry him, suffered a heart attack late on Saturday while undergoing treatment at Stanley medical college and hospital.

He was admitted to the hospital on July 9 following his surrender before the IV Magistrate court in Chennai as per the order of the Supreme Court, which rejected his plea for leniency on the ground of ill health and advanced age. The Apex Court had earlier confirmed the life term awarded by the Madras High Court which enhanced the punishment from 10 years imprisonment ordered by the trial court in 2004. The Supreme Court gave him 100 days to surrender, July 7 being the deadline.

The convict accordingly surrendered before the court for serving his sentence-brought in an ambulance-and was taken to the Stanley Hospital for medical examination prior to admission in the Puzhal jail. At the hospital, doctors found him to be suffering from various ailments, such as BP and hypertension, and advised admission. He suffered heart attack on Saturday night, said Dr P Ramesh, Stanley's Resident Medical Officer (RMO), adding that the man has been placed under ventilator support.

"Rajagopal is a diabetic and has blood-pressure. His kidneys are also failing and he is in a critical condition", said the RMO.