A fake ‘godman’ who cheated several people by claiming to be well acquainted with political leaders and IAS officers has been arrested. He allegedly swindled lakhs of rupees by promising to get houses allotted through the Tamil Nadu Housing Board.
According to police, Jeganathan, 54, of Nandhavanam, Avadi, lodged a complaint that a man posing as a godman had cheated him of ₹20 lakh.
The accused, identified as Srinivasan, 32, of Thandarampattu, Tiruvannamalai district, had rented a house in Vaishnavi Nagar, Thirumullaivoyal. Introducing himself as a spiritual man with close connections to political leaders, industrialists, film stars, and IAS officers, he promised to get houses allotted in the Tamil Nadu Housing Board.
Believing him, Jeganathan, his friends and relatives gave him ₹20 lakh, but he neither arranged the allotments nor returned the money. Acting on the complaint, Avadi crime branch inspector Jeganathan launched a search and arrested Srinivasan when he came to Nagammai Nagar, Thirumullaivoyal, to attend a relative’s funeral.
Investigations revealed that Srinivasan had posed as a godman, taken photographs with several prominent figures — including former actress and Andhra politician Roja, Puducherry Chief Minister Rangasamy, and former Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan — and used these to gain people’s trust and cheat them.
Police sources said he had also allegedly collected ₹44 lakh from Ramanujam, 72, a retired college professor from Thirumullaivoyal, after promising to secure a post for him in the BJP. Srinivasan was produced before the Poonamallee court and remanded in Puzhal Central Prison.
Published – November 01, 2025 12:27 am IST
