Panchayat president, associate arrested again for cheating

Coimbatore: The city crime branch (CCB) has registered a case against N Panneerselvam, 58, president of Pachikottai village panchayat in Pudukkottai, his associate Selvakumar of Trichy and loan agent Kumari of Chennai for cheating a Coimbatore-based businessman of Rs 22.5 lakh.
Panneerselvam and Selvakumar are lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison for cheating the chairman of a private hospital in Coimbatore of Rs 2.85 crore.Police made a formal arrest in connection with the second case on Wednesday.
K Raja, 48, managing director of Multi City Digital Consortium Pvt Ltd at Pappanaickenpalayam here had lodged a complaint against Panneerselvam. The firm provides cable TV connections in Coimbatore. Raja and his business partner Arjunan decided to expand the business and were looking for Rs 50 crore loan. They approached Kumari of Chennai for arranging the amount. The woman introduced them to Selvakumar. Selvakumar introduced them to Panneerselvam, who promised to arrange the loan and demanded Rs 22.5 lakh as processing fee.
Raja handed over Rs 22.5 lakh to Panneerselvam at a hotel in Coimbatore city in January. But Panneerselvam did not arrange the loan and cheated Raja.
Based on Raja’s complaint, CCB police registered a case against Panneerselvam, Selvakumar and Kumari under sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code on Monday. Inspector A Ravi and team made the formal arrest on Wednesday. Police are planning to take Panneerselvam under custody.
Dr K Madheswaran, chairman of Royal Care Hospital in Coimbatore, had approached Panneerselvam to get a loan of Rs 100 crore last year. Madheswaran gave him Rs 2.85 crore processing fee, but was cheated. Based on the chairman’s complaint, CCB police registered a case and arrested Panneerselvam and Selvakumar on July 14.
“CCB has received as many as 18 complaints against Panneerselvam. He is facing 25 cheating cases across the state. We are taking steps to attach properties of Panneerselvam and his family members. His wife is operating two petrol pumps and owns more than 20 acres of agricultural fields. Panneerselvam had brought several houses in Chennai by cheating people,” said a senior police officer.