Land grab scams: the stink reaches DMK biggie

Tiruchy: The stench of land and property grab scams has reached the higher echelons of the DMK with a businessman from Namakkal on Monday alleging DMK strongman KN Nehru's hand in evicting him out of his property. The complainant, Doctor K Kathirvel, claimed to have documentary evidence to prove the former minister's link to his case.

Addressing the media after lodging a complaint with the Commissioner of Police here, he said five persons including Nehru, his brother, Ramajayam, and Deputy Mayor M Anbalagan, forced him to part with his hotel valued at Rs 15 crore.

While reportedly purchasing Hotel Kanjana Towers in December 2005, Kathirvel had drawn up an agreement on its purchase with partners Guru Sankara Narayanan, Gayathri Devi, Subbu Lakshmni and Natchiyar.

A total of Rs 65 lakh was handed over to the owners, and the balance payment was to be settled through monthly instalments, in addition to closing a bank loan of Rs 6 crore.

"To start the hotel business, I spent Rs 1.5 crore to renovate the building, and it did well after the revamp," Kathirvel said.

However, in 2007, a group of men, with the support of then Inspector of police, Cantonment, Swaminathan, asked him to vacate the hotel claiming that the owners had sealed the deal with one Ranganathan before Kathirvel came into the picture.

"Thereafter, I was often threatened of dire consequences by former minister Nehru and his brother, Ramajayam, to hand over the property to the Ranganathan group," alleged Kathirvel.

Subsequently, he lodged a complaint with then Cantonment police inspector Swaminathan against the duo on December 22, 2007. But the police sat on his complaint.

"The day after I filed the complaint, a gang of about 100 men with lethal weapons, led by Deputy Mayor M Anbalagan and Ranganathan, entered the hotel and assaulted me. They also forcibly evicted me out of the hotel and took it under their possession," he said.

He also claimed that the former minister had directed the police to register a case against him on the ground that the businessman had threatened the owners and usurped their hotel.

"A case was registered against me and they arranged a publication of a news report that the police were searching for a Namakkal doctor," he said.

He went on to add that the change of guard in the State had emboldened him to file a fresh complaint.

The Tamil Nadu Police Commissioner E Ma Masanamuthu has ordered a probe.