Coimbatore: Two realtors have been arrested for circulating a message that a private medical college at Othakkalmandam was up for sale at Rs 1,650 crore and assaulting the medical college manager, who questioned them for spreading the false message.
The Chettipalayam police identified the accused as V Shankar, 49, of BR Puram at Peelamedu, and C Ramachandran, 54, of NGGO Colony at Thudiyalur.
Police sub-inspector Arul Prakash said the two were nabbed based on a complaint lodged by S Sivakumar, 33, manager of Karpagam Medical College at Othakkalmandapam.
According to the officer, two realtors - Selvaraj from Pollachi and Kumar from Dindigul - had approached Sivakumar on Thursday morning, inquiring whether the college was up for sale. “During his conversation with them, Sivakumar came to know Shankar and Ramachandran had circulated a message among the realtors that the medical college was up for sale and they had fixed a price of Rs 1,650 crore.”
Sivakumar subsequently contacted the realtors over phone, disguising himself as a prospective buyer and asked them to meet him. “The duo invited him to JJ Nagar at Chettipalayam. Sivakumar, along with two others, met the realtors on Thursday afternoon and questioned them for spreading the false message. In a fit of rage, Shankar and Ramachandran assaulted Sivakumar and threatened him of dire consequences,” the officer said, quoting the medical college manager’s complaint.
The Chettipalayam police registered a case against the realtors under sections 294 (b) (sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506(i) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and arrested them the same night.
On Friday, the two were produced before a judicial magistrate, who remanded them in judicial custody.