Late don Sridhar Dhanapal’s close associate surrenders in court
The Hindu
Dinesh, who was Sridhar’s car driver, has over 45 criminal cases pending against him
Dinesh, 49, a close associate of late don Sridhar Dhanapal, surrendered before a metropolitan magistrate court in Saidapet on Monday. Kancheepuram district police was looking for him due to his involvement in various offences and a special team was working to nab him ahead of the urban local bodies elections.
Dinesh has over 45 criminal cases pending against him for offences, including murder, attempt to murder and extortion. He was a car driver of Sridhar and decided to take over his position after the latter died by suicide in Cambodia. He teamed up with history-sheeter Thaygu, alias Thyagarajan and often clashed with a rival group led by Sridhar’s kin Thaniga, alias Thanikachalam.
Led by SP M. Sudhakar, the police intensified efforts to nab them in the district. A special team caught Thiyagu, 33, who had jumped bail and hid in Haryana, last month. Due to intensified surveillance, Dinesh surrendered before the court, police sources said.
For the first time in a Lok Sabha election, the AIADMK forfeited deposits in seven constituencies. For the ruling DMK, the verdict is seen as a popular endorsement of the functioning of its three-year government under Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. The outcome indicates that the BJP, whose Hindutva ideology has all along been considered alien to the political ethos of Tamil Nadu