Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday condoled the death of NRI businessman and Atlas Group chairman M M Ramachandran, who reportedly died due to age-related ailments in Dubai, UAE, on October 2.

The businessman, also known as 'Atlas' Ramachandran, was 80.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir: Journalist Arrested After University Teacher Accuses Him of Rape, Extortion and Trafficking.

Vijayan, in a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), said the businessman was active in public forums and cultural gatherings in Dubai and had close contacts with the non-resident Malayalis.

He also helped the poor, the Chief Minister said in the statement.

Also Read | Google Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro India Pre-Booking To Begin on October 6, 2022.

Expressing his condolences, he said Ramachandran, who was a jeweller and also a film producer, died before he could realise his desire to return to his native land of Kerala.

The businessman is well known for his tagline -- 'trusted institution of crores' -- and besides producing movies, has also acted in some.

Ramachandran, born in Thrissur district of Kerala in 1942, started his career as a bank employee before moving into the jewellery business, the CMO statement said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)