The central crime branch (CCB) of the city police arrested three persons on charges of land grabbing on Sunday, and restored property worth Rs. 4 crore to its owner.
According to police, the property originally belonged to Dr. C.U. Velmurugendran, a senior neurosurgeon, working at a private medical institution.
Back in 1974, he bought 4,920 sq. ft. of land in Choolaimedu from its then owner, Anantha Krishnan, and constructed a compound wall to safeguard the property. Dr. Velmurugendran then hired a man Arul, who was already living on the property in a hut, to look after it. Dr. Velmurugendran paid Arul a salary for his work in taking care of the land.
In 2009 however, Arul and his sons Immanuel and Michael, allegedly grabbed the property through forged documents.
In 2011, Dr. Velmurugendran found out what had happened, and when he questioned Arul and asked him to restore the land to him, Arul, along with a few others, chased him away.
When Dr. Velmurugendran filed a complaint at the Choolaimedu police station on May 11, 2011, allegedly no action was taken.
As the documents were forged, the doctor then filed a complaint with the sub-registrar in Kodambakkam, but even then, no action was taken. Finally, on April 25 this year, the doctor met city police commissioner S. George, during a grievance meeting, and explained his problem.
After examining all the doctor’s documents, the commissioner forwarded the case to Nallasivam, additional commissioner of police, CCB.
A case was registered by the land grabbing cell of the CCB. During the course of their investigation, police found that the property was worth crores of rupees.
Police found that Immanuel and Michael had first created a document under which a fictitious ‘power of attorney’ clause was made, and then forged documents with the help of a man, Anbukumar, transferring the property to their names.
They then registered the forged papers at the sub-registrar’s office in Kodambakkam.
When Dr. Velmurugendran tried to enter his property, they prevented him from doing so, with the help of local history-sheeters.
Police arrested Immanuel, Michael and Anbukumar and remanded them to custody. “We handed over the property to the doctor,” said a senior police officer.
Until March 31 this year, the police have solved 12 cases of land grabbing and arrested 30 persons in connection with these cases. Property worth Rs. 8.25 crore has been restored to the original owners, a police officer said.
In 2012, there were 156 such cases, 149 arrests and property worth Rs. 154 crore restored.
- Dr. C.U. Velmurugendran bought the plot in 1974
- He entrusted it to Arul who tried to take it over
