Delhi Police on Wednesday said AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran used “illegal channels” to transfer money from Chennai to Delhi as part of a deal between him and middleman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
Mr. Dhinakaran was arrested on Tuesday night following four days of questioning for allegedly attempting to bribe an unidentified Election Commission official to get the undivided AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ election symbol for his faction. His close associate Mallikarjuna was also arrested.
Police had earlier said that Mr. Chandrashekhar had struck a deal for Rs. 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction to keep the ‘two leaves’ symbol. Police recovered Rs. 1.30 crore in cash from Mr. Chandrashekhar when he was arrested from a five-star hotel in Delhi.
Mr. Dhinakaran has been arrested for arranging the amount from undisclosed sources and getting it transferred from Chennai to Delhi through illegal channels, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madhur Verma.
Mr. Mallikarjuna has been arrested for assisting Mr. Dhinakaran for transfer of this money from Chennai to Delhi, he added.
Police were verifying whether Mr. Chandrashekhar had approached any Election Commission official for getting a favourable decision for Mr. Dhinakaran’s faction.
The leader had come under the scanner following Mr. Chandrashekhar’s arrest on April 16, 2017.
