Thushar Vellapally, the president of Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), a coalition partner of the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, has been arrested at Ajman in UAE in connection with a Rs 19 crore cheque bouncing case.

According to media reports, a complaint from N Abdulla, a Thrissur native, in a Rs 19 crore cheque case of 2009 when Vellapally was running a construction business in Ajman led to the arrest. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, asking  him to intervene in the matter. In the copy of the letter which was released to the local media, Vijayan expressed his concern about Thushar Vellapally’s well being and health.