Bengaluru police get 10-day custody of ex-corporator for questioning

A local court on Friday remanded former corporator V. Nagaraj and his two sons Shastry and Gandhi to 10 day police custody for interrogation in the money-laundering case registered against them.

Although police sought 15-day custody of the accused, 11th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court Judge Jyothishree also remanded them to its custody till May 22.

A police team arrested the trio on Thursday from Arcot village in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district and were brought to the city earlier on Friday.

A civil court had issued an arrest warrant against the accused last month after police seized demonetised currency notes with the face value of Rs 14.8 crore from Nagaraj's house during a pre-dawn surprise raid on April 14.

The money-laundering case was registered against the accused under Section 7 of the Specified Bank Notes (Cessation of Liabilities) Act. 2017.

Meanwhile Bengaluru Commissioner of Police Praveen Sood announced Rs 2 lakh reward to the team for nabbing the accused who were on the run for 27 days to evade arrest.

A local court on May 5 also rejected Nagaraj's anticipatory bail application he filed through his lawyer on April 17, fearing arrest for allegedly exchanging the demonetised notes with new notes on a hefty commission.

Nagaraj, 54, was an independent corporator of the Bengaluru City Corporation from the Prakashnagar civic ward in the city's western suburb from 2002 to 2007.

Police also registered a case under Sections 189 (threat of injury to public servant) and 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory) of the Indian Penal Code against him.

--IANS

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