Officials searched at least four sites, including the residences of Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan and Vellore MP Kathir Anand.
Published Jan 03, 2025 | 2:28 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 03, 2025 | 5:58 PM
Officials outside one of the residences under raid. (Screengrab)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday, 3 January, raided multiple locations in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, targeting ruling DMK party leaders, including the residences of Water Resources Minister Durai Murugan, his son, and Vellore MP Kathir Anand.
Officials searched at least four sites, including Kathir Anand’s home in Gandhi Nagar, Katpadi, and the residences of his associates and Pooncholai Srinivasan, a former city secretary and Vellore District Sports Development Coordinator, in Keel Mottur near Pallikuppam.
The raids, which started in the morning, mark the second instance of ED action against Durai Murugan and his son.
In April 2019, Income Tax officials had raided properties linked to the duo. These raids resulted in the seizure of ₹11.5 crore in unaccounted cash, allegedly intended for distribution to voters in the Vellore constituency.
Due to the substantial cash haul and concerns over potential electoral malpractice, the Election Commission recommended the cancellation of the Lok Sabha election in Vellore. This recommendation was subsequently accepted by the President of India, leading to the annulment of the election in the constituency.
The election for the Vellore constituency was rescheduled and held later in 2019. Kathir Anand contested as the DMK candidate and won the seat, defeating his opponent by a narrow margin.
Neither Minister Durai Murugan nor MP Kathir Anand was in Vellore during the searches, according to the New Indian Express.
(This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.)
(Edited by Dese Gowda with inputs from K Nitika Shivani)
