Chennai, Feb 25 The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) of Tamil Nadu was on Tuesday conducting searches at the residence and office of opposition AIADMK‘s Coimbatore North MLA Amman K. Arjunan.
The raids, which began in the morning, are based on a case registered against him for allegedly amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income during his previous tenure. A team of eight DVAC officials, accompanied by armed police personnel for security, was inspecting his house and office.
This is not the first time DVAC has acted against AIADMK leaders since the DMK assumed office in 2021. Earlier, raids were conducted at the residence of former state Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar and former Local Administration Minister S.P. Velumani in separate corruption cases.
Investigators conducted searches at 13 locations linked to Vijayabaskar, including his residence, following a complaint related to corruption. Similarly, DVAC sleuths carried out raids at 10 locations associated with S.P. Velumani in another corruption case.
The DVAC has registered a case against former minister and AIADMK legislator S.P. Velumani for alleged corruption in awarding stormwater drain (SWD) and roadwork tenders by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) in 2018. This marked the fourth FIR filed against Velumani by the state’s anti-corruption agency since the DMK government came to power in 2021.
Velumani, currently AIADMK’s Organising Secretary, served as the Minister for Local Administration from 2014 to 2021. The FIR is based on complaints filed by Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor of the NGO Arappor Iyakkam.
The DVAC has also filed a charge sheet in the disproportionate assets case against former Minister C. Vijayabaskar and his wife, Ramya. The charge sheet is based on a case registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. According to the charge, Vijayabaskar and his wife accumulated wealth in their names and those of their family members in the form of movable and immovable properties worth Rs 35.79 crore, which was found to be disproportionate to their known sources of income.
The DVAC has also previously conducted raids and registered a case against AIADMK leader and former T. Nagar MLA B. Sathyanarayanan in connection with a disproportionate assets case. The investigating agency has alleged that Sathyanarayanan amassed wealth amounting to Rs 2.64 crore, which was found to be disproportionate to his known sources of income.
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