I-T officials booked for abetting suicide of Santiago Martin’s cashier

COIMBATORE: A day after cashier of a college run by leading lottery operator Santiago Martin was found dead, Coimbatore rural police registered a case against Income Tax department sleuths for abetment of suicide. The man was allegedly tortured by the I-T sleuths for three days.
The deceased, T Palanisamy, 45, of Urumandampalayam near GN Mills at Thudiyalur, was working as a cashier at Future Gaming and Hotel service private limited at GN Mills in Coimbatore and the firm belonged to Martin. He was working for Martin for about 25 years.
The I-T department started searches 70 places including 22 places in Coimbatore from March 30.
Palanisamy was also interrogated by IT sleuths at his residence and at his office at GN Mills for three days. On Friday at 7 am, he told his son P Rohin Kumar, 19 that he would go to the office. He left the home. Around 10.30 am, Rohin Kumar was informed that his father did not come to the office. Immediately Rohin Kumar and his relatives launched a search to trace Palanisamy.
Around 3 pm, Rohin Kumar got a call from Karamadai police informing him of the death of Palanisamy. The body was found inside a pond at Velliankadu and sent to Mettupalayam government hospital for postmortem.
Rohin Kumar lodged a complaint with Karamadai police on Friday night and said that his father had been harassed by I-T sleuths who beat him in custody. He said he witnessed I-T officers beating his father during the raid at his residence.
He claimed that Income Tax officials harassed his father and it was the main reason for the latter to commit suicide. He demanded the police to take necessary action against income tax officials.
Based on the complaint, Karamadai police registered a case against unidentified I-T sleuths under section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code and further investigation is on.