Aarudhra Gold scam: Police seek extradition of Rajasekar from UAE

Chennai: Tamil Nadu police have again written to the UAE to extradite ‘Aarudhra' Rajasekar from Abu Dhabi, with the help of the ministry of external affairs. This is the second time they are seeking his extradition.Rajasekar is facing a case of cheating the public to the tune of 2,438 crore. He was arrested by Interpol in Abu Dhabi in Dec 2023, following a red corner notice issued against him by the economic offences wing-CID. A few months ago, the EOW-CID wrote to UAE govt to extradite him; however, there was no response.The Aarudhra Gold deposit scam involves a company that defrauded the public of 2,438 crores by promising investors interest rates of 25%–30% per month. In Dec 2023, Interpol detained the company's managing director Rajasekar in Abu Dhabi after he was on the run for two years.As of March 2024, the EOW arrested 23 suspects and seized properties worth 100 crore from the main culprits. EOW is also searching for Usha Rajasekar, the managing director's wife. The company failed to deliver the pledged returns and subsequently stopped paying back the principal amount as well.Between Jan and mid-May, EOW registered 19 fresh cases and arrested as many as 49 suspects for defrauding nearly 350 crore. Another 10 were arrested in 2022. EOW registered a case under BNS, the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Act and Tamil Nadu Protection of Interests of Depositors Act.tnn