Jayalalithaa orders action against emu farm owners

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Friday directed the police to take steps for attaching, through courts, properties of firms that ran emu farms and repaying the amounts invested by thousands of depositors.

Chairing a review meeting in Chennai to discuss the situation, Jayalalithaa said she had asked police to act quickly in nabbing those who were absconding in connection with the scam.

"I have directed police to return the money of the depositors by confiscating the property of the emu farm owners through court," she said in a statement.

According to her, the state animal husbandry department would take care of the emu birds and once they grow up, they would be sold off and the proceeds would be adjusted towards the feed cost incurred by the department.

Jayalalithaa said 16 complaints have been registered against emu farm owners by the police and 33 people have been booked as accused. Till now four people have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.