In what has become fresh trouble for an ADMK candidate ahead of the urban local body polls, the Coimbatore police have arrested her husband in connection to the case of forging documents and grabbing land. The accused were arrested and remanded in judicial custody. 

According to reports, the anti-land grabbing special cell of the Coimbatore rural police had arrested the husband of ADMK candidate Sarojini, S Manickam on Wednesday along with his close aide in Perur town panchayat in connection to the case of grabbing 51 cents of land, worth more than Rs 1 crore, by forging documents. The arrest has come at a high time when Sarojini has been campaigning for her as she is contesting from the Perur town panchayat in Coimbatore in the upcoming urban local body polls. 

The arrest has happened based on the complaint from 53-year-old N Rajamanickam of Chinna Kovil street in Perur. He lodged his complaint on Monday with the police and he said that he was a daily wage worker, belonging to a scheduled caste. He further said that the state government had provided 51 cents of land and patta to his mother Palaniammal at Perur village on August 22, 1988. Palaniammal had died in 2011 due to age-related ailments. 

Rajamanickam has alleged that S Manickam of Perur had made a woman impersonate his mother and forged the voter's identity card on May 22, 2019, and received a power of attorney in his name from the impersonated woman. The power of attorney was registered at the Perur register office on June 18, 2019. Rajamanickam had said that Manickam had acquired the property with forged documents and he sold the property to Nallaram G Murugavel on October 16, 2020. 

After learning about the forgery over his land, Rajamanickam had petitioned the District Collector in 2020 and recently, he has requested the police to take action against S Manickam and Murugavel for illegally grabbing his land. Based on the complaint, the police had registered a case against Manickam and Murugavel under sections 419 - cheating by personation, 420 - cheating and dishonestly inducing property, 423- fraudulent execution of the deed, and 468- forgery for purpose of cheating of the Indian Penal Code. 

On Wednesday, the police had arrested S Manickam and Murugavel and they were then produced before a special court after which they were remanded under judicial custody. They have been lodged at Palladam sub-jail. Manickam's wife Sarojini is contesting from the Perur town panchayat in the ADMK ticket in the urban local body polls that will be held on February 19. The police have launched further investigation.