Chennai: A special team of Kancheepuram police has detained dead don Sridhar Dhanapalan’s cook, Devendran for questioning on Wednesday. He was with Sridhar during his last days in Phnom Penh, Cambodia until he committed suicide on October 4 by consuming cyanide.
Sridhar who moved to Dubai in 2013 held a reputation of making things happen over a phone call from Dubai to arm twist landowners and traders to sell property at the price he demands.
The Enforcement Directorate in 2016 attached more than 124 properties belonging to him and his family members in connection with a money laundering
case.
Only his family members knew that he shifted base to Cambodia by the end of 2016, where Devendran assisted him. “Sridhar trusted Devendran and used to eat food cooked only by him,” a police officer said.
Police sources said that a look out notice was on his name as he was associated with the notorious criminal. To avoid being apprehended by officials, Devendran did not fly to Chennai and instead flew to Bengaluru. He then travelled to Kancheepuram by road when a special team intercepted him and detained him.
Police said that though he has not been named in any of the criminal cases involving Sridhar, he has been detained to find if he can shed light in any of the cases as he is a long time confidant of the deceased don, who had more than 30 cases including seven murders against him.
Devendran’s family members are likely to approach the court to file a Habeas Corpus petition, according to sources.
