The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has charged the Chennai Corporation’s Deputy Mayor M Mahesh Kumar and five others with taking over a quarry business through fraudulent means, after the death of its owner. The First Information Report (FIR) named M Mahesh Kumar, Deputy Mayor of the Greater Chennai Corporation, P Gunasekaran, a relative of minister for Co-operation, KR Periyakaruppan and Chennai South District Registrar Sathya Priya, among others. According to The New Indian Express, a total of six persons have been booked for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and forging documents and data on electronic devices.

The complaint was filed by A Esakkiammal, the wife of late SR Mohan who was the original owner. He passed away in April 2021. A senior police officer told TNIE that two business partners of the deceased,  Gunasekaran and Balamurugan, brought in Deputy Mayor Mahesh Kumar as a director and made over the company to him, without providing proper compensation to Esakkiammal and her children. Gunasekraran and Balamurugan have also been named in the FIR.

The FIR stated that the accused had forged documents belonging to Mohan and changed the ownership claiming that he was alive. The documents were registered at the District Registrar office, Chennai South, where Sathya Priya, the Registrar, registered the company under Mahesh Kumar’s name. In her complaint, Esakkiammal said that Sathya Priya was supposed to inform her about the changes, but failed to do so.

A case was registered by the CCB on August 18, after directions from the Saidapet court, on a  petition from Esakkiammal, who charged that the local police did not register a case since the key accused was a ruling party functionary and a Deputy Mayor.