Chennai: The Chennai police have invoked the Goondas Act against the prime accused in an alleged ₹100 crore fraud involving private school managements across Tamil Nadu.
The accused, B.T. Arasakumar (59), was arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on charges of allegedly cheating private educational institutions by promising to secure various government approvals through his purported political influence and official contacts.
According to investigators, Arasakumar allegedly collected crores of rupees from school managements by assuring them of obtaining permanent recognition, school upgradation approvals, DTCP and CMDA clearances, as well as no-objection certificates from government authorities.
The case was registered following a complaint lodged by D.C. Ilangovan, secretary of the Federation of Private Schools Associations of Tamil Nadu. Police said the Goondas Act was invoked as a preventive measure in the public interest and to curb further instances of fraud.
So far, representatives of 47 private schools have filed complaints, with the confirmed amount involved in these cases exceeding ₹7 crore. Investigators, however, suspect the overall fraud could exceed ₹100 crore.
