Former AIADMK minister arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly raping Malaysian woman

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Bengaluru, June 20, 2021: Former AIADMK Minister M Manikandan was arrested by a special team of Chennai Police from Bengaluru on Sunday over allegedly raping a Malaysian woman.

Following the complaint of the 36-year-old woman, who is also a Tamil actor, Manikandan was booked under six Sections of the Indian Penal Code for alleged rape, causing miscarriage, and cheating by the Adyar All Women Police Station.

Former AIADMK minister M Manikandan arrested in Bengaluru by Chennai City Police for allegedly raping a Malaysian woman, causing miscarriage as well as for criminal intimidation. He was evading arrest after Madras High Court had refused him anticipatory bail: Tamil Nadu Police

— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2021

Manikandan, who served as the Minister for Information Technology till 2019, was summoned by the police for inquiry but he did not appear. On Wednesday, his anticipatory bail was rejected by the Madras High Court and he had been absconding since then.

The city police formed two special teams to arrest him. They initially searched for him in Madurai, Ramanathapuram. Manikandan’s driver and assistant were summoned by the police for the inquiry.

On May 28, the actor had lodged a complaint with the Chennai police, saying that the former minister had cheated her after being in a relationship for over five years. She said the minister forced her to abort, attacked her on multiple occasions, blackmailed to release their intimate photos and videos online, and even issued death threats.

Addressing reporters, the actor had displayed a copy of her complaint and other documents, including WhatsApp conversations she had with the accused. She added that she was introduced to the minister in 2017 through a mutual friend while she was working for Malaysian Tourism. The actor claimed that the minister developed a relationship with her on the pretext of investing in stocks in Malaysia. The minister had promised to marry her despite being married already.

However, Manikandan, during an interview with a local Tamil channel, had said that he doesn’t know the woman and this was a conspiracy to extort money from him and malign his image.