The Delhi Police on Friday arrested two hawala operators from the airport in connection with the cash-for-symbol case involving All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (Amma) leader TTV Dinakaran, India Today reported. They were taken into custody for allegedly giving money to middleman Sukesh Chandrasekar, who was arrested on April 16 for bribing Election Commission officials on Dinakaran’s behalf to secure the AIADMK’s two leaves symbol for his faction.

On Thursday, the police had taken Dinakaran and his aide Mallikarjuna, who was also arrested, to Chennai. Their houses were searched to gather “further evidence” in the EC bribery case, PTI reported. The operation was led by the Delhi Crime Branch’s Assistant Commissioner Sanjay Sherawat, but the officers did not specify whether they had seized anything from their houses.

Advertisement

The two were taken to Chennai two days after they were arrested on allegations of bribing Election Commission officials to secure the AIADMK’s “two leaves” symbol. Besides the duo, Dinakaran’s wife and others believed to have links to the case were also questioned about illegal channels used to send money to Delhi from Chennai, unnamed officials told PTI.

The police began the investigation after Chandrasekar, who was the first arrested in the case, was found to have finalised a Rs 50-crore deal to help the AIADMK (Amma) camp secure the “two leaves” symbol. Officers had seized Rs 1.30 crore from him when he was arrested from a five-star hotel in Delhi on April 16.

Dinakaran, jailed AIADMK General Secretary VK Sasikala’s nephew and the party’s deputy chief, is facing accusations of allegedly arranging for the money from undisclosed sources and transferring it to Delhi from Chennai using illegal means. Mallikarjuna was arrested for allegedly helping Dinakaran make the transfer, the police said.