Absconding kingpin of money-lending racket arrested

His arrest comes after he got himself 'freed' from police custody months ago with the help of his men while being taken to Kerala.

Chennai: An alleged kingpin of a money lending racket in Kerala was arrested Saturday by the Kerala police after they fired a warning shot in the air.

His arrest comes after he got himself 'freed' from police custody months ago with the help of his men while being taken to Kerala.

He has been allegedly absconding since then.

"Kerala police fired one round in the air. It was a warning shot to arrest P Maharajan," a senior police officer told PTI.

Maharajan is the main accused in a moneylending racket involving crores of Rupees.

He also faced complaints of cheating and charging exorbitant rates of interest.

In July, following his arrest, Maharajan was "freed," when he was taken in a vehicle by Kerala police personnel to their state on the Salem-Kochi highway in Tamil Nadu.

A gang of his supporters in two vehicles had took him away from police custody and he had made good his escape.

According to airport sources, Maharajan will be taken to Kozhikode by an early morning flight Sunday.

He was brought to the airport late Saturday amid tight security.

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