Synopsis
The SIT of the CB-CID will question Perumal, the former PSO of Jayalalithaa, in relation to the Kodanad heist and murder case. This follows extensive interviews with over 200 individuals as the investigation unfolds.Key Takeaways
- SIT continues to investigate the Kodanad case.
- Over 200 individuals have already been questioned.
- The heist occurred on April 23, 2017.
- Significant fatalities linked to the case have raised suspicions.
- Interrogations of former PSOs may reveal new information.
Chennai, March 13 (NationPress) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) from the CB-CID is preparing to question Perumal, the former personal security officer (PSO) of the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, regarding the Kodanad heist and murder case.
Perumal, who comes from Bhavani in Erode district, has been called in for interrogation on Wednesday.
Up to this point, the SIT has interviewed over 200 people as part of the ongoing inquiry.
On Tuesday, another former PSO of Jayalalithaa, Veeraperumal, was questioned for approximately three hours at the CB-CID office in Gandhipuram. His statements were recorded on video.
In a media interaction, he mentioned that he served as Jayalalithaa's PSO from 1991 and again from 2002 to 2016. "After Jayalalithaa's passing, I was reassigned to a different division of the police department," he stated.
The Kodanad estate, one of Jayalalithaa's significant properties, was the scene of a brutal heist on April 23, 2017.
A group of heavily armed individuals broke into the bungalow, stole valuables, and killed a security guard. The crime was reportedly planned by C. Kanagaraj, a former driver at Jayalalithaa's Poes Garden residence.
Believing that large sums of money were hidden within the estate, he gathered a gang of 11 people, including ten men from Kerala.
On the night of the incident, the gang arrived in two vehicles and reached Gate No. 8 of the estate around 10:30 p.m. They forced entry, subdued security guard Krishna Thapa, bound him, and locked him inside a lorry.
Two of the culprits kept watch while the others proceeded to Gate No. 10, where they attacked and killed the second security guard, Om Bahadur.
Shortly after the robbery, several fatalities connected to the case raised eyebrows. Kanagaraj (accused number 1) died in a road accident on the Salem-Chennai highway near Attur.
Sayan (accused number 2) from Thrissur, Kerala, also suffered an accident that same day near Palakkad. His vehicle crashed into a stationary lorry, resulting in the deaths of his wife and daughter, while he survived with injuries.
On July 3, 2017, Dinesh Kumar, a 29-year-old computer operator at the Kodanad estate, was found dead at his home in Kotagiri.
The police classified it as a suicide, marking Dinesh's death as the fourth unexplained fatality linked to the Kodanad case, intensifying the mystery surrounding the crime.
With fresh interrogations in progress, the SIT continues to untangle the intricate series of events associated with the heist and murders at Kodanad. The questioning of former security personnel is anticipated to provide new insights into the case.
