Temple Land Fraud: Ex-Registrar Arrested in Madurai

In Madurai, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police have apprehended Anantharaman, a former sub-registrar, in connection with a significant fraud involving the registration of Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple property valued at approximately Rs60 crore. This arrest is the sixth made by the CCB in this ongoing investigation.

Investigations indicate that a fraudulent patta transfer, initially attempted in 2016 and subsequently cancelled, was revisited. Despite pending litigation before the Madras High Court, a new document was allegedly registered in 2021 at the Murappanadu sub-registrar office, purportedly concealing crucial facts.

Police investigations have identified power deeds registered at the Murappanadu and Vadamadurai sub-registrar offices as pivotal to the alleged fraud. These documents allegedly served as the basis for subsequent registrations that facilitated the disputed property transactions.

Anantharaman, who served as the sub-registrar at Murappanadu during the registration of the disputed documents, has been taken into custody. He was produced before a court and subsequently remanded to judicial custody.

The CCB has registered a case against 19 individuals implicated in this complex fraud. Several arrests have already been made, including those of Rajkumar, Ilaiyaraja, former VAO Arasan, Kalikumar, and former tahsildar Anbalagan, the latter of whom was also suspended following his arrest.

The police are diligently pursuing their investigation into the entire chain of transactions. This includes the registration of power deeds and the subsequent alleged fraudulent documents connected to the temple trust properties. The disputed property encompasses the Ashoka Villas bungalow and a two-acre garden situated near Tallakulam-Alagarkovil Road.