Chennai: SRM University Chancellor arrested in Rs 73 crore Medical Admission Scam

Chennai: In a shocking medical college cheating case, Chairman of the SRM Group, TR Pachamuthu has been arrested by the Chennai Police for allegedly duping 109 students of a sum of 73 crores, promising admissions to their wards in SRM college,

Pachamuthu is to be produced in a magistrate's court at Saidapet by the Chennai police. The chairman of SRM has been accused along with film producer and college admission agent Madhan in many cheating cases. Madhan disappeared in a mysterious manner after May 27, the Hindu reports, and T.R.Pachamuthu has been arrested on the basis of complaints filed by parents of over a hundred students.

The parents claim to have paid lacs of rupees for medical seats at SRM. According to reports, about 109 cheating cases have been registered by the Chennai police and Madhan had collected approximately Rs. 73 crore from the parents. The parents had named Pachamuthu along with Madhan in their complaint.

Founder of the IJK party, an alleged ally of the BJP, Pachamuthu alias Pari Vendhar, was called to the police station for interrogation on Thursday. During his grilling Pachamuthu claimed that he had nothing to do with Madhan and also alleged that Madhan had indulged in forgery by creating false documents in the company's name and forging his signatures.

The SRM Chairman has reportedly been put behind bars under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention).

It is believed that the arrest followed after the Madras High Court questioned the police, if political interests were leading to the postponement of the alleged scammer's arrest by them. It is understood, that the apex body had also expressed their intention to transfer the investigation to another agency, if the postponement of arrest continued, any further. The case started unwinding after Pachamuthu's close aide Madhan went missing in May this year.

It is also claimed, that in an earlier raid conducted in 2013, by the CBI, at Madhan's production house and SRM, had led to unaccounted cash being recovered from both locations.

Interestingly, the parent's police complaint was filed,when the chief admission agent of SRM, Madhan, the alleged right hand man of TR Pachamuthu , involved in the SRM educational scam disappeared; leaving behind an alleged suicide note.

Madhan's note which went viral on social media circuits claimed that he was facing a lot of opposition from within the SRM clan, which was primarily due to his growing intimacy with TR Pachamuthu. The note also mentioned his intention of wanting to attain 'Samadhi' in Varanasi before his disappearance.Blaming the SRM group of Institutions, he confessed being their admission agent .

In his note, Madhan's regretted that the crores collected from parents would not result in granting of seats for their wards at SRM, because of NEET becoming operational; thereby, changing the entire admission process, reported The News Minute.

Madhan's family alleged that he went missing after paying all the money collected from students to Chancellor Pachamuthu.

Till now four persons have been arrested in the case. They are Vijayapandiyan, an associate of Madhan, Dr Bargavan Pachamuthu, a medical doctor and also the state secretary of the medical wing of Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK) party (a party founded by Pachamuthu), Shanmugam, Madurai District Secretary of the IJK party and Babu, Dindugal District Secretary of IJK party.