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S.A. Raja stopped from flying out

R. Rajaram

Police await arrest warrant against double life-term convict in murder case

FUTILE EFFORT: S.A.Raja (left), who has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the Aladi Aruna murder case, coming out of the Tiruchi airport on Saturday, after being denied permission to fly out of the country.

TIRUCHI: S.A. Raja of Tirunelveli, convicted and sentenced to undergo double life imprisonment by the High Court on August 5 for the murder of Aladi Aruna, was stopped at the Tiruchi International Airport on Saturday as he tried to fly out of the country. Tirunelveli police were said to be awaiting the issue of an arrest warrant against him consequent to the verdict.

Raja, who runs educational institutions in the region, was detained by Immigration officials as he sought to board a SriLankan Airlines flight to Colombo. Informed sources said the police, on being alerted, told the Immigration officials in writing that the convict be not allowed to fly off.

On being told that he cannot fly, Raja went to the guest house of a dental college run by him on the outskirts of the city. Police said he was under surveillance.

The Madras High Court Bench in Madurai had reversed Raja’s acquittal by a lower court in the murder case. Former Minister Aladi Aruna and his friend R. Ponraj were murdered during a morning walk near Alankulam in Tiruneveli district on December 31, 2004. Raja was charged with hiring mercenaries to kill Aruna owing to a dispute between them over managing their engineering colleges.

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