Chennai Police Arrest B T Arasakumar In ₹100 Crore School Recognition Fraud

The Central Crime Branch of the Chennai police has arrested 59-year-old B. T. Arasakumar in Chennai for allegedly defrauding private school managements across Tamil Nadu of more than ₹100 crore. Arasakumar, who heads an unregistered association, reportedly cheated school administrators over the past two years by falsely promising to secure official recognitions and statutory approvals through his political connections.

According to the police, the arrest followed a complaint filed by Elangovan, the secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu. The Central Crime Branch (CCB) registered a case based on the complaint and launched an investigation, leading to Arasakumar's arrest. Police officials stated that he would be produced before a magistrate for remand on Sunday.

The complainant stated that private school managements across the state had been facing significant difficulties over the last two years in obtaining permanent recognition, grade upgrades, and necessary approvals from planning agencies. These agencies included the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA).

Arasakumar, who operated an unregistered organisation under the name "Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association," allegedly approached these struggling school administrators. He claimed that he could easily obtain the required approvals and upgrades by leveraging his political and official connections.

Arasakumar has a history of political involvement in the state. He was originally a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) functionary before leaving the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He subsequently rejoined the DMK a few years ago.

Investigating officers revealed that Arasakumar collected large sums of money from numerous school administrators under the pretext of securing these approvals. However, he failed to deliver the promised recognitions or refund the collected amounts, resulting in an estimated fraud of over ₹100 crore.

Following the investigation, the CCB arrested Arasakumar to face legal prosecution for the multi-crore cheating scandal.