Close on the heels of Tehelka's former Editor Mathew Samuel charging Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami with being behind the break-in of Kodanadu estate in 2017 and five deaths thereafter, a special team of Chennai police rushed to New Delhi and picked up the members of the gang Sayan and Manoj. The two had been picked up for inquiry based on a complaint filed by AIADMK leader Rajan Chelappan's son Rajan Satyan. They were being brought to Chennai.
The duo were accused in the 2017 burglary at former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's Kodanadu estate and murder of security guard Om Bahadur. They had claimed that Edappadi Palaniswami was the one who ordered the break in. The report released by journalist, Mathew Samuel, claimed that the deaths of five people related to the break-in had links to Palaniswami, since he was the one who had ordered to steal important documents in the possession of Jayalalithaa.
The CM on Saturday rejected allegations made against him and said the police would probe the matter. "A police case had been filed in the matter and strong action will be taken against those who released the video, he said and suspected political motives behind the matter. He also said that the case was already in the court and that the Accused No 2 and No 3 have not mentioned any of this, despite appearing in the court 22 times. The Chief Minister also added that raking the issue up now is an attempt to divert the case.
On Sunday evening, Mathew Samuel released a video in which he said he was with Sayan and 'Walayar' Manoj at Sector 9 in Dwaraka, New Delhi. "I had just left the place. A private vehicle came with police sticker on it. They took Sayan and Manoj forcibly. They have kidnapped them. I strongly believe it is the hands of Palaniswami," he said.
