Swaroop Reddy, director of Sathyam Cinemas, has been booked on charges of land grabbing by the Central Crime Branch of the city police. His relative Sujay Anand Reddy was arrested on Saturday in the case pertaining to usurping prime land in Nungambakkam worth Rs. 155 crore.
Police sources said Uma Maheshwari (53), who is a relative of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, and also runs Orchid Foundation Private Limited, had grabbed 16 grounds of a 20.5 grounds-plot on Kumarappa Street, Kasi Garden in Nungambakkam.
The land was owned and had been maintained by a private trust since 1915.
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In 2006, Uma along with her accomplices threatened Ethis Gupta, treasurer of the trust, and forced him to sell the property for a very low price of Rs. 2.1 crore.
At the time of the registration the following year, the suspects registered 16 grounds in their name and gave the trustees only Rs. 1.70 crore of which they took back Rs. 1.50 crore.
They had promised the trustees that a marriage hall and temple would be constructed on the plot.
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Sujay Anand Reddy (39) of Nandanam was given the power of attorney for the usurped property and in 2012, he sold 2.5 grounds of land to his relative Swaroop Reddy who fenced the plot.
Backed by Uma Maheshwari, Sujay and his henchmen threatened Gupta and the other trustees and chased them away from the property which they had been maintaining for years.
Gupta lodged a complaint with the Office of the Commissioner of Police on Tuesday and a CCB probe was ordered into the matter. Uma Maheshwari was arrested on Friday and remanded to custody.
Her accomplice Sujay Anand Reddy was arrested by the CCB team early on Saturday. Swaroop Reddy, who is named in the FIR, is likely to be arrested soon, CCB sources added.