Sahara Chief Subrata Roy Surrenders, Arrested

Roy had said he was absent since he wanted to be with his ailing mother, who is 92. "Last evening, I had gone out of Sahara Shaher, Lucknow, to consult with a panel of doctors with certain medical reports of my mother and then I had gone to a lawyers' house also," he said in the statement. "I was informed by my family members that police had come and they said something to the media and then the whole media in the country started saying I am absconding," he said, adding: "Am I absconding? I have started hating myself."

He also said a lot of people had advised him to get himself admitted to some hospital and could remain there, as was the "general practice to avoid courts" on for medical reasons. "However, I hate to do such drama." The Supreme Court had directed the presence of Roy and the three directors of his group firms following their failure to submit to the market regulator title deeds of some of the unencumbered properties. The directors had since surrendered.

The court order was to secure the balance of 19,000 crore out of 24,000 crore that these firms had collected through optionally fully-convertible debentures. These Sahara companies had deposited 5,120 crore with the regulator in December 2012. The matter has been listed for further hearing March 4, even as Roy requested the court to allow him to be with his mother till March 3. He also said he will follow the court orders unconditionally.

After his arrest, his son and executive director of the group, Seemanto Roy, said his father was a law-abiding citizen and had served the country.