Missing film producer Madhan traced to girlfriend's house

Chennai: The 6-month long mystery of the missing boss of Vendhar Movies, S. Madhan, came to an end when he was traced in a secret room inside his girlfriend’s residence in Tirupur on Sunday.

Briefing the media on the arrest, City Police Commissioner S. George said the missing case has drawn to a close but the multi crore medical seat being pursued in parallel to the missing case will take its course as per law.

The top cop said that they would also be filing a status report with the Madras High Court, which is hearing a habeas corpus plea in this regard. “We formed a special investigation team led by DCP R. Sudhakar, comprising handpicked ADCs, ACPs, and Inspectors. The team gathered intelligence based on interrogation of his friends and relatives.

“We had earlier traced Madhan to a hotel in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Before the officers reached, Madhan got wind of it and vanished from the lodge,” the Commissioner said.

“Madhan studied in Marathwada Institue of Technology in Maharashtra. His contacts are spread across northern states. The topographic advantage helped him lay low,” he added.

The team put all the pieces of information together to build a profile of his possible movements, including Madhan buying a house in Roorkee. Processing the information, the cops went on to camp for over a month in Roorkee which is where they first learnt of courier movements of cash being ferried.

The constant surveillance on the Tirupur house helped establish that cash was being brought there as the courier had been tagged and cops had kept a watch on his trail.  Based on the frequency of courier visits, the needle of high suspicion fell on the house in Tirupur.  Intelligence revealed that the woman living alone was friendly with Madhan.

Cops waited for the courier to visit again and it happened on Sunday evening, which is when they stormed into the house and confronted the woman about her links with Madhan.

“The woman stood firm saying she was not connected to Madhan in any way. When we pressed her with evidence we have collected against her association with Madhan and  searched the house we spotted a secret chamber in the first floor. We broke into the room to find Madhan hiding there,” Sudhakar said.
Madhan was brought to the City and produced before a metropolitan magistrate who remanded him to judicial custody until December 4.