Court slaps rigorous imprisonment on couple for cheating Malaysian firm

The case against the two, D. Ramaraj and his wife, Jhansi Pappa was that Ramaraj had taken over the company’s guest house worth Rs 1.20 crore and registering it in the name of his wife fraudulently.

Assistant Public Prosecutor, S. Manual Arasu, said, Ramaraj of Kodambakkam was working in the Malaysian based firm, Phoenix Technology Private Ltd, since 1992. The company was supplying electronic items including bulbs for signals to Indian Railways. The office was located in a rental building on Pasumarathu Street in Kodambakkam.

Initially he was drawing a salary of Rs 5,000 per month. Over the years, the company promoted him as manager of its Chennai branch, and hiked his salary to Rs 50,000. While working in the company, he floated another company, Raj Rail Tech and secured similar work orders from the railways without the knowledge of the Malaysian firm. As a result the company faced a heavy loss. The headquarters decided to wind up the operation in Chennai.

After sending several employees home, the company asked Ramaraj to look after the remaining work in the city. The company also asked him to buy a guest house in Kodambakkam.

In 2009, the company sent Rs 1.20 crore from Malaysia to the owners of the building, Malathi and Vijayaragavan for buying it. Instead of registering the building in the name of the company, he secured power of attorney in favour of his wife, Jhansi Pappa, 32, over the building and grabbed the building fraudulently. Learning about this, managing director of the firm, Kimis, filed a petition before the police commissioner. In 2010, the CCB registered a case against the two.