DVAC raids 58 premises linked to former TN Minister, seizes unaccounted cash, gold

Chennai: Vigilance raids were conducted on Thursday in different parts of Tamil Nadu and in Telangana at the premises of AIADMK leader and former Minister K P Anbalagan in connection with a disproportionate assets case.

Anbalagan was the Higher Education Minister in the previous AIADMK government.

The AIADMK condemned the searches as 'political vendetta'.

Top party leaders O Panneerselvam and K Palaniswami alleged that the DVAC action was aimed at hiding the administrative inefficiency of Chief Minister M K Stalin.

In a statement, the duo said that rather than working towards people oriented welfare initiatives, the DMK regime is focused on taking 'vengeful' action due to vendetta against the AIADMK.

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), Dharmapuri, registered a disproportionate assets case against Anbalagan and four of his close family members, even as sleuths simultaneously raided 58 premises linked to him in Dharmapuri, Salem and Chennai districts besides in Telangana.

During the searches, the authorities seized material objects and incriminating documents pertaining to the case. In addition to an amount of Rs 2,87,98,650, gold ornaments weighing about 6.637 Kilograms, about 13.85 Kilograms of silver and unaccounted cash of Rs 2,65,31,650, and bank locker key were seized. Further investigation is on.

Anbalagan is the sixth former AIADMK Minister to come under the scanner of the DVAC.

The FIR, registered by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, DVAC, under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, named Anbalagan and accused him of being involved in "corrupt activities and intentionally enriching himself illicitly and acquiring properties and pecuniary resources on his name and on the names of his family members, disproportionate to his known source of income."

The case pertains to his acquisition during his term in office as Minister between 2016 and 2021.

Anbalagan, aged 62, is accused of "illicitly enriching" himself to the tune of Rs 11,32, 95,755 on his name and that of his family members and others, disproportionate to their known sources of income. His assets should not have exceeded Rs 10,10,39,663 during the 'check period,' the DVAC said.

Also named in the FIR were Anbalagan's wife A Maliga, sons A Sasi Mohan and A Chandra Mohan and S Vaishnavee, his daughter-in-law.

"The affidavits filed by him during the 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections and information received from credible sources were taken into account for arriving at the quantum of disproportionate assets," the FIR said.

A petition had been filed by N Krishnamoorthy in the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the DVAC to take up investigation with regard to his petition sent to the department in which he alleged that Anbalagan had amassed wealth disproportionate to his income.

Anbalagan, representing the Palacode Assembly Constituency, Dharmapuri district, is the sixth former minister from the main opposition party to come under the vigilance net over alleged disproportionate assets, with the others being MR Vijayabhaskar, SP Velumani, K C Veeramani, C Vijayabaskar and P Thangamani.