One more Alagiri aide detained under Goondas Act

Madurai, Jul 28: A close associate of Union Minister M K Alagiri was today (Jul 28) detained under the Goondas Act following a series of complaints of extortion, criminal intimidation and robbery against him, police said.

''Attack'' Pandi is the second close associate of Alagiri to be detained under the Act after ''Pottu'' Suresh, personal assistant (political) to the DMK leader, was also booked on land grabbing charges.

Pandi is already in prison in connection with a land grabbing case. Police said they had received some more complaints of extortion and criminal intimidation against Pandi after his imprisonment, forcing them to detain him under Goondas Act.

Cases had been registered against him under sections 506(2) (Criminal intimidation), and 320 (Grievous hurt) of the IPC, they said.

Pandi is also one of the accused in the Dinakaran newspaper office attack case, which left three persons dead, they said.

Three employees of Dinakaran, a Tamil daily, lost their lives in the attack on the office on May 9, 2007 following the publication of a survey that gave an edge to former Deputy Chief Minister and Karunanidhi's son M K Stalin over his brother Alagiri to succeed their father.

PTI