Thushar Vellapally, president of a coalition partner of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, has been arrested in the UAE in connection with a Rs 19 crore cheating case on Thursday, 22 August, according to a local media report .
Vellapally was arrested at a hotel in Ajman on Tuesday and is expected to be released on Thursday or early Friday, Khaleej Times reported, quoting a local source associated with Vellapally’s party Bharath Dharma Jana Sena.
In the letter, a copy of which was released to the media in Kerala, CM Pinarayi Vijayan expressed concern about the well-being and health of Vellapally.
Ajman Police sources have confirmed the arrest, the report said, adding that Vellapally is seeking bail. Other sources said that the case had nothing to do with politics. According to them, “it was a purely a business-related matter and a very old case. The case will be cleared in a day or two.” Vellapally was arrested at the hotel where he was invited to discuss matters in connection with the case.
According to the report, Vellapally had issued a cheque of 10 million dirhams (around Rs 19 crore) ten years ago to a construction firm. However, the cheque had bounced, the report quoted sources as saying.
The complaint was registered by a subcontractor from Thrissur, Kerala, who worked for Vellapally-owned Boeing Construction Company LLC which is now defunct.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking his intervention in the matter.
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 on 23 April this year, in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had emerged triumphant.
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