RAVINDRAN Subramanian, the chief executive officer of Masala Wheels who was thrown into the limelight recently over claims of torturing and abusing a former employee, said he is a victim of false accusations.

Masala Wheels is an Indian restaurant located in Section 1 of Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
 
Ravindran said he was ‘victimised’ after he did not agree to the monetary demands made by the accuser, an Indian national named Velayutham. 
 
He said he will pursue legal action against Velayutham and an Indian television channel for defamation, now that his name has been cleared by local authorities.

In June, Ravindran landed in hot water after a video interview of Velayutham made rounds on social media.
 
In a television appearance on an Indian talk show, Velayutham claimed that he was abused, sexually tortured, and exploited while working without pay at Masala Wheels. He also claimed that his passport was burnt.
 
“What others don’t know is Velayutham’s demands to me.
 
“He blackmailed me, demanding INR200,000 (RM11,344.69). I have all these conversations recorded,” Ravindran told The Malaysian Insight in an exclusive interview.
 
Following the exposé, a multi-agency task force raided the restaurant and investigated several individuals, including Ravindran, over the alleged matter.
 
The investigation has now concluded and the case has since been classified as ‘no further action’ (NFA).
 
Clearing the air over the issue, Ravindran said that none of the allegations against him were true and that Velayutham cooked up stories with intent to reap financial gains.
 
Ravindran said the decision by the police to categorise the case as NFA proves that he was innocent, adding that he has all the phone conversation recordings with Velayutham, which was submitted as evidence for the investigation of the case.
 
Ravindran said he was initially on good terms with Velayutham. However, their relationship turned sour when Ravindran questioned Velayutham about some missing funds that were discovered through an audit exercise. 

“When we audited the accounts, there was a shortage of RM5,800. I asked him but I think he was humiliated because I questioned him in front of everyone. He told me there were receipts but then said some are missing and that (sum was) RM5,800… He then promised to pay it back but then he left.
 
“After he had left for India, he was still in contact with me. The initial video of his allegation was released in India sometime in December 2020.
 
“After the video was released, I contacted him, he told me that I don’t have to worry because he was simply making a video to create awareness and that he did not reveal any names of individuals or organisations in it.
 
“Then after a few days, he contacted me asking for money, saying since he left Malaysia, he has no money and was struggling financially.
 
“He then threatened me saying that if I agreed to pay him, then he would not disclose my name in the interviews. I have all these in recordings,” Ravindran said.
 
Ravindran agreed that Velayutham had not mentioned his name in any of the videos published, prior to the latter’s interview with Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan.
 
However, it was Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, the host of the talk show, who revealed Ravindran’s name in a separate audio clip, according to him.
 
Ravindran said the police had called him for questioning three times and that he cooperated with the authorities, handing over 300 pages of documents to support his innocence.
 
Taking action in India
 
Ravindran said the allegations by Velayutham not only tainted his organisation’s reputation but also his and his loved ones’.
 
He added that he and his family received abusive calls from random numbers after Velayutham’s interview had gone viral.
 
Ravindran now calls on Velayutham to prove his allegations to the authorities.
 
“The human resources minister has assured Velayutham’s safety if he returns. Now he can come here without any fear and lodge a police report if his claims are true, rather than making false accusations over videos.
 
“Let the police investigate and get a clear picture,” he said.
 
As for the next course of action, Ravindran said that he has engaged a lawyer in India to press charges against Velayutham on his false allegations.
 
He said that he and his organisation have also lodged a report to the Central Bureau of Investigation in India to investigate Velayutham, adding that a demand letter was also been sent to the entertainment channel in India, which aired Velayutham’s interview without verifying his allegations. 
  
“We were not contacted to verify the authenticity of the allegations and they decided to air the interview, which tainted our reputation.
 
“So, the host told us that she had made attempts to contact us. We are available and active on most social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram.
 
“If what she says is true, then she has to prove it,” Ravindran added. – September 6, 2021.