Tamil Nadu minister warns of legal action against those who cut tree in front of Jayalalithaa’s Kodanad bungalow

Strict action will be initiated against those who were involved in cutting the tree without valid permission, the minister said to a query by reporters on the issue.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Forest Minister K Ramachandran on Saturday said stringent and legal action will be taken against those who had cut a tree in front of the Kodanad estate bungalow owned by late chief minister J Jayalalithaa here in connection with the 2017 heist-cum-murder case.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Ramachandran said the state CB-CID’s ongoing probe found that the tree was cut.

Strict action will be initiated against those who were involved in cutting the tree without valid permission, he said to a query by reporters on the issue.

Om Bahadur, a security guard in the bungalow, was tied to the tree and murdered by assailants, who then entered the premises and stole some documents in 2017. Besides the security guard, his colleague Krishna Bahadur was wounded.

Police said 11 men were involved in the heist and murder. Two of the suspected accused Kanagaraj, who served as Jayalalithaa’s driver, and Sayan died in separate road accidents within a week after the robbery.