Kodanad Estate case: Tamil Nadu police quiz Sasikala in Chennai

A special team of the Tamil Nadu Police is questioning late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikala in the Kodanadu dacoity-murder case.

Team Newsable

Chennai, First Published Apr 21, 2022, 2:07 PM IST

A special team of the Tamil Nadu Police is questioning late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's aide Sasikala in the Kodanadu dacoity-murder case. The questioning is taking place at Sasikala's T-Nagar residence in Chennai.

What is the Kodanadu dacoity-murder case?

The case pertains to the dacoity cum murder that took place at the nearly 1000-acre Kodanad estate in the Nilgiris jointly owned by Sasikala and the late Jayalalithaa in 2017.

At that time, Sasikala was serving a jail term with regard to the disproportionate assets case. A guard posted at the estate was found murdered. At the same time, a group broke into the estate bungalow and stole -- according to the police -- some watches and a crystal rhinoceros.

What has really kept the rumour-mills running in the case is that at least four more people linked to the Kodanadu estate case have died in mysterious ways. This includes accused number one Kanagaraj, a former driver in the estate, who was found dead near Edappadi -- the hometown of former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami.

Accused number 2 met with an accident in Kerala on the same day. The suspect lost his wife and daughter in the accident. Later, another accused, a computer operator, committed suicide.

Fresh Investigation

The police had, in 2017, denied that any cash was stolen from the estate. However, after the Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam took over, the new Tamil Nadu government ordered a fresh probe into the case on the grounds that some fresh information had now come to light. It is in this context that Sasikala is being questioned.

Last week, a former AIADMK MLA was also questioned in this regard.

Political witchhunt?

The AIADMK has called the fresh investigation a witchhunt to implicate former chief minister EPS.

This after speculation is rife that after Sasikala, the police may come knocking on his doors to interrogate him.

However, the DMK government denied the allegations and said the law would take its own course.

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Last Updated Apr 21, 2022, 2:09 PM IST