Businessman held in alleged duty evasion case

A week after filing charge sheets in alleged duty evasion of imported luxury cars, CBI today arrested businessman and Chancellor of Sri Ramachandra University V R Venkatachalam.
Official sources said Venkatachalam was arrested in Chennai as he was named by the agency in both the charge sheets filed last week.
Hyderabad-based businessman Alex Joseph was the main accused in the case which relates to a probe into car import scam in which high-end cars were sold to politicians and businessmen allegedly by evading customs duty.
52-year-old Joseph was arrested from a five-star hotel in Delhi in February this year after he eluded the police for 11 months following a CBI raid on his house in Chennai.

Known as a big businessman in Chennai, Venkatachalam would be questioned by CBI as he had allegedly purchased from Joseph seven imported vehicles.
Efforts to take the reaction from the accused side did not fructify and an email sent to the media relations of the University was not answered.

However, people close to Venkatachalam were quoted in the media as having said that he never imported a luxury car and only purchased it from someone for which payments were made through cheque.
The alleged scam in import of cars had led CBI to the doors of DMK leader M K Stalin last year and Joseph is alleged to have colluded with officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in importing luxury vehicles by evading customs duty.

Jospeh used to sell them to some big businessmen and politicians including Stalin and BCCI chief N Srinivasan.
Along with Jospeh, Venkatachalam has been charged by CBI under IPC sections ranging from cheating, fraud, forgery and presenting forged documents as genuine.
During 11-month investigation, CBI seized 33 luxury cars like Rolls Royce, Range Rover, Land Cruiser Prado, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Hummer which were imported for several years under the Transfer of Residence Rules of the Customs Act.
Joseph allegedly placed orders for cars from abroad and later hired Indian working nationals being repatriated to India on cancellation of work permits, CBI sources said.

These cars would then be sent to India through Chennai, Mumbai and Cochin ports in the names of these workers.
He had been absconding from the date of registration of the FIR in the present case in March last year.