The Virudhunagar police has issued a lookout circular against former Minister and AIADMK leader Rajenthra Bhalaji in a cheating case. On December 17, the former minister had escaped from a public meeting on learning that his anticipatory bail plea in a cheating case related to job fraud was rejected by the Madras High Court.
Superintendent of Virudhunagar police M Manoharan issued the circular a couple of days ago and has passed it on to all international airports in the country to prevent the former minister from escaping abroad.
Rajenthra Bhalaji is accused of duping several job seekers by promising them jobs in Aavin, the milk cooperative of Tamil Nadu government, while he was the Minister for Dairy Development during the previous AIADMK rule. Virudhunagar police told IANS that eight special teams have been formed to nab him and police are on a look out for him but he has so far evaded arrest.
The district police have registered two cases of cheating against the former minister. Immediately after the news of his anticipatory bail being rejected had come, the former minister changed three cars and left through rural areas of the district to escape from the police dragnet.
A former functionary of the AIADMK, Vijaya Nallathambi has also filed a case against Rajenthra Bhalaji stating that he had handed over Rs 1.60 crore to the former minister that he had collected from several job seekers.
On December 17, the Madras High Court refused anticipatory bail to him and Vijaya Nallathambi. Justice M Nirmal Kumar, who dismissed the advance bail applications, observed that in the case of job racketeering, the anxiety and gullibility are exploited by the persons who are in position or persons who have access and proximity.
The court said that in this case, Vijayanallathambi, making use of his position and proximity with the Minister as the secretary of the District Youth Wing and Legal Wing and Vembakottai West Union secretary of the AIADMK in Virudhunagar district, exploited the situation. Rajenthra Bhalaji, being passive, approved his misdeeds.
The Madras High Court on Friday while dismissing the anticipatory bail plea of the former minister said, "This court consistently in the cases of job racketing, find innocents are being cheated, lured and their future becomes questionable and considering the fact that job aspirants lose their money, they also lose their future."
The court also directed the police to conclude the investigation, giving top priority, within a stipulated time.
The judge noted that the antecedents of Vijayanallathambi showed that from 2015 onwards, he had been cheating several job aspirants by collecting huge sums of money. Though he had switched loyalty from one party to another, his act of cheating job aspirants continued. In this case, he was not a stranger and he was a prominent person holding high position in the political party, he said.