Thushar Vellappally, contested against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, Arrested
DUBAI : 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.
According to sources, the NDA Kerala convenor had issued a cheque of 10 million dirhams (approximately Rs 19.5 crore) ten 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.
Mr Vellapally was running a company in Dubai around 10 years ago, sources said.”The company went into losses and the sub-contractors had demanded compensation for losses. A cheque given earlier as compensation, amounting to 8 million Dhirams, bounced recently when Thushar Vellapally was in Dubai, leading to his arrest,” the source told NDTV. Mr Vellapally was arrested in Ajman near Dubai.
Mr Vellapally heads the Kerala unit of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a political party and an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In his letter, the Chief Minister has referred to Thushar Vellapappy as the vice president of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), an organisation that works with the politically influential Ezhava community.In Wayanad, he was defeated by Rahul Gandhi who got over 12 lakh votes. Mr Vellapally managed to get a mere 78,816 votes.
The politician, despite his defeat to Rahul Gandhi , is said to have been a strong face to establish the NDA’s presence in Kerala, where the coalition is trying to make electoral inroads. BJP chief Amit Shah, while introducing Mr Vellapally ahead of his first parliamentary election, had tweeted saying , “A vibrant and dynamic youth leader, he represents our commitment towards development and social justice. With him, NDA will emerge as Kerala’s political alternative.”
Sources close to Thushar Vellapally claim that efforts are being made to release him on bail, with prominent Malayalis in Dubai intervening in the case.
(With inputs from IANS)
