CHENNAI: At least 25 locations linked to the DMK strongman and former minister K N Nehru were raided by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in multiple cities, including Chennai, Trichy and Coimbatore, in connection with a suspected multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department on Thursday.
Officials later said they had seized 170 ‘incriminating documents’ and 13 electronic gadgets during the searches. The searches were carried out in Chennai, Trichy, Coimbatore, Namakkal, Tirunelveli and other places as part of an investigation into the suspected irregularities in the recruitment of 2,538 candidates to various posts in the department during 2024-25.
Based on a complaint and documents forwarded by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the DVAC registered an FIR on June 5 following a Madras high court directive on Feb 20. The fresh searches came after the court dismissed Nehru’s review petition on Oct 26. Earlier, the agency searched Nehru’s residence and other locations in Chennai as part of a separate investigation into alleged irregularities and commission-based tender allocations in the department between 2021 and 2025, when Nehru held the portfolio.
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Money was collected from ineligible candidates in exchange for appointments as assistant engineers, junior engineers, sanitary inspectors, draughtsmen and other posts in the MAWS Department, according to the DVAC. DVAC officials said the seized documents and electronic devices would be examined to trace suspected financial transactions and establish the roles of those involved. The investigation centres on a suspected Rs 634crore financial network linked to the recruitment process. This is the second round of searches since Sept. Further investigation is on. Download the TOI App.
On Wednesday, Nehru moved the Supreme Court with a Special Leave Petition challenging the high court’s order.
A DVAC team landed at Nehru’s residence in Thillai Nagar in Trichy at around 7am. Nehru was home when officers began the search. Soon after, several DMK supporters gathered outside his residence while the operation continued. The teams also searched his brother’s R A Puram residence in Chennai and premises linked to businessman J Sekar Reddy at Gandhi Nagar in Katpadi, Vellore. In Coimbatore, searches were conducted at the TVH Complex in Singanallur on the Trichy Road and an office at G V Residency. In Namakkal, DVAC teams searched the residence of former DMK MLA Ramalingam at M G Nagar on the Mohanur Road.