Thushar Vellappally, NDA Pick Against Rahul in Wayanad, Held in Rs 19 Crore Cheating Case; Granted Bail

Chennai: Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) chief Thushar Vellapally, who was also NDA's candidate against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, has been arrested in Dubai in connection with a cheating case.

Vellapally was arrested at a hotel in Ajman on Tuesday, a media report quoted a local source associated with his party Bharath Dharma Jana Sena as saying. Ajman Police sources have confirmed the arrest, it added.

According to sources, the NDA Kerala convenor had issued a cheque of 10 million dirhams (approximately Rs 19.5 crore) 10 years ago to a construction firm that had bounced. The complaint was registered by Malayali subcontractor from Thrissur, Nazil Abdulla, who worked for Vellapally-owned Boeing Construction Company LLC that is now defunct.

A source said that the BDJS chief was taken into custody on Tuesday evening from a hotel in UAE's Ajman after being invited for discussion for the settlement of the case.

Vellapally was later granted bail on a a security bond of 1 million dirhams. He is yet to receive his passport and his travel back to India may be delayed.

"We have fulfilled the conditions for securing the bail. But he will have to clear the civil case for travelling. We are sure that he will be able to do that because this is a clear case of cheating as he had never issued any such cheque in the name of the complainant. This must be a stolen cheque or Thushar's confidante, with whom he used to keep blank cheques when he used to travel might have cheated," 'Gulf News' quoted his uncle uncle KS Vachaspathy as saying.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking his intervention in the matter. In the letter, a copy of which was released to the media in Kerala, Vijayan expressed concern about Vellapally's well-being and health.

Vellapally is also the vice-president of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a prominent organisation of the backward Ezhava community in Kerala. He had unsuccessfully contested as the NDA candidate from Wayanad in the Lok Sabha elections in April 23 this year, in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had emerged triumphant.

(With inputs from Chandrakanth in Kerala)