The Madras High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to suspended Inspector of Police Sheela Mary accused of having induced police personnel and others to invest money in an enterprise run by her private driver by promising them gold and plots at discounted prices.
Justice C. Kumarappan dismissed the advance bail plea following stiff opposition from the prosecution. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Chennai had booked Ms. Mary, her driver Prabhu Mani and his employees Senthil as well as Kalpana in connection with the alleged financial fraud.
The First Information Report (FIR) was registered against them on May 25, 2026 on the basis of a complaint lodged by S. Venkatraman, branch manager of a private bank, who had reportedly deposited ₹89.32 lakh of his personal money in Vinayaga Enterprises of Kodungaiyur in Chennai.
According to the complainant, he was serving as the manager at Royapuram branch of the bank between 2023 and 2025 when he tried to canvass a woman customer, who was serving as a Sub Inspector of Police at Royapuram All Women Police Station, to invest some money in fixed deposits.
The Sub Inspector reportedly told the complainant her superior Ms. Mary’s younger brother offers better returns for the investments made with him by returning the money in the form of gold coins, with a discount of ₹1,400 per gram compared to the market rate, within a very short duration.
Attracted by her words, the complainant had reportedly met Ms. Mary at the police station where he was told her brother offers gold at low prices only for police personnel and that Mr. Venkatraman would also be eligible for the discount because his father happens to be a retired Sub Inspector of Police.
Thereafter, he was directed to the Kodungaiyur office of Vinayaga Enterprises where the prime accused Prabhu Mani induced the complainant to invest as much money as possible by stating that almost all police personnel in the police stations at North Chennai had invested their money with him.
The complainant availed loan, pledged his wife’s jewellery, borrowed money from his parents-in-law and deposited a total of ₹89.32 lakh in the bank account of Vinayaga Enterprises and that of Prabhu Mani in different tranches between April 20, 2024, and July 3, 2024.
After receiving the money, the accused began dodging the complainant without giving gold coins in return. On being confronted, he returned ₹27.81 lakh in instalments before closing down the office and absconding. Only thereafter, it came to light that Prabhu Mani was actually the driver and not the brother of Ms. Mary, the complainant said.
Urging the police to initiate action against the accused and help him recover the remaining ₹61.51 lakh, Mr. Venkatraman said many other investors had also been duped.
Subsequently, the Joint Commissioner of Police (North Zone), Greater Chennai Police, had on June 16, 2026 suspended Ms. Mary from service pending inquiry into charges of her role in having cheated police personnel and others to the tune of ₹2 crore.
Published – June 28, 2026 10:13 pm IST
