Chennai: P Rajagopal (72) owner of Saravana Bhavan restaurant chain died in a Chennai hospital on Thursday, due to multiple health ailments. Rajagopal, a murder convict was shifted to hospital for treatment from Jail where he was serving life term for murdering his employee.
Chennai: P Rajagopal (72) Founder of Saravana Bhavan restaurant chain died in a Chennai hospital on Thursday, due to multiple health ailments. Rajagopal, a murder convict was shifted to hospital for treatment from Jail where he was serving life term for murdering his employee.
On Tuesday, the Madras HC permitted Rajagopal to seek treatment at a private hospital for his health issues.
According to doctors who were treating Rajagopal, the convict’s health was deteriorating since Saturday. Rajagopal was suffering from diabetes, hypertension and kidney-related issues. He was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit and was on ventilator support and died this morning.
Back in 2001, Rajagopal was convicted in the kidnap and murder of Prince Santhakumar, husband of Jeevajothi whom Rajagopal intended to marry as his third wife. Rajagopal then was already married with two wives.
Jeevajothi was the daughter of an assistant manager at one of Saravana Bhavan's Chennai branches. Rajagopal was hell bent to marry Jeevajothi, as an astrologer had predicted that he would become a powerful and richest person in the world.
Despite Rajagopal's advances and threats, Jeevajothi did not approve to marry him. Instead she went on to marry Prince Santhakumar, her lover. In October 2001, Santhakumar was kidnapped. Later his body was found by the forest department officials from inside the Tiger Chola forests in Kodaikanal on October 31.
His post-mortem report had said the cause of death was asphyxia due to throttling. Soon after, police found the cloth used for the murder. In 2004, a sessions court found Rajagopal guilty of the crime and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Rajagopal challenged the sessions court verdict in the Madras High Court but was given life imprisonment in 2009.
In March 2019, Rajagopal once again appealed against the verdict in the Supreme court, which upheld the Madras High Court order. Rajagopal was asked to surrender on July 7, but he appealed again, asking for more time owing to his ill health but was rejected by the Supreme Court.