The Madras High Court has upheld the detention of a Malaysian national who had allegedly faked his own death in Malaysia and fled to India under an assumed identity to escape criminal prosecution.

Karunairaj, 47, who has at least seven aliases, is held at the Chengalpet camp for foreigners. He faces six cases in Malaysia and nine in India, said Times of India in its report today.

According to Coimbatore police who arrested him in August 2010, Karunairaj obtained a death certificate in Malaysia, via a friend, after faking his own death.

He then arrived in India with his wife and three children.

A crime branch team from Coimbatore first picked him up from Ekattuthangal in August 2010. He was detained in November, the following year, and held at the Chengalpet special camp for foreigners.

On his part, Karunairaj, however, had an entirely different story to tell.

He claimed his family came to Chennai on a shopping trip and he was illegally arrested by a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer.

Besides taking away valuables, including 250 sovereigns of gold, the police personnel molested his wife and 19-year-old daughter, the English language daily reported.

Karunairaj claimed a certain police officer had links with international drug cartels and that the family was harassed since Karunairaj had evidence of the man’s dealings.

Even while he was stepping out of the Central Prison in Puzhal after getting bail in a case on Sept 8, 2011, he was arrested by Hosur police in connection with another case.

Although he got bail and was released on Nov 8, 2011, he was illegally detained till Nov 12, 2011. He was later informed that the government issued an order dated Nov 9, 2011 to detain him at a special camp for foreigners in Chengalpet.

On Feb 29, last year, a judge quashed the detention order, expressing doubt as to why he should be detained moments after leaving prison.

The current appeal was filed by the Tamil Nadu government, assailing the single judge order, said the report.

- Bernama