Delhi cops swoop down on Dhinakaran home, issue summons in bribery case

Delhi Police officials on Wednesday night served summons to AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran in a case of alleged bribery of Election Commission (EC) officials for retrieving the party's 'Two Leaves' symbol.

It is, however, not known when Dhinakaran has been asked to appear before them.

Assistant Commissioner Sanjay and another official served the summons to Dhinakaran at his upscale Besant Nagar residence in Chennai.

The Delhi Police personnel, who were inside Dhinakaran's house for about 20 minutes, declined to speak to the waiting media while leaving the premises.

Anxiety and tension, meanwhile, prevailed for a while as a party worker tried to set himself ablaze to show his opposition to the police.

The self-immolation bid was thwarted by other cadres and some plainclothesmen.

On Wednesday, the Delhi Police had issued a lookout notice against Dhinakaran.

The lookout notice was issued in the wake of inputs that Dhinakaran was an NRI and could try to flee the country, police said.

The AIADMK (Amma) Deputy General Secretary is already facing the heat as the K Palanisamy Cabinet revolted against him last night and decided to keep him and his family out of the party and the government.

Dhinakaran today virtually questioned the need for the lookout notice, saying how could he flee the country when his passport was "in court" for 20 years.

Earlier, the Crime Branch had arrested an alleged middleman, Sukesh Chandrashekhar here in connection with the matter.

He claimed that he had told Dhinakaran that he will get a favourable verdict from the Election Commission of India in the party symbol case, he said.

The 27-year-old had told Dhinakaran that he has contacts in the Election Commission and his contacts will help the Sasikala faction get the AIADMK's poll symbol of two leaves in a byboll to the R K Nagar Assembly seat in Tamil Nadu.

Police got on Chadrashekhar's trail after they received a tip-off from an informer about certain Election Commission officials being approached.

It has been learnt that he had struck a deal for Rs 50 crore for helping the AIADMK faction keep the 'two leaves' symbol.

Till now, the middleman had allegedly got Rs 10 crore of the deal amount and the remaining amount was to be given to him in a time-bound manner.

He had allegedly received money through some Chandni Chowk-based hawala operators and police is probing the hawala link. Yesterday, Sukesh was taken to Chandni Chowk by the Crime Branch officers to identify the hawala operators.

Dhinakaran had, soon after the arrest of Sukesh Chandrasekhar asserted that he will face the matter legally. He had denied any knowledge of Chandrasekhar.