1 week Ago By Venkadesan S
Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it has detected a "deep-rooted and systemic corruption network " in the Tamil Nadu municipal administration and water supply department after searches on properties linked to its minister K N Nehru 's brother N Ravichandran. The remarks came in the aftermath of three-day searches in Chennai, Trichy, and Coimbatore from Monday to Wednesday, based on a CBI 2021 FIR regarding a bank fraud complaint against a windmill company. ED in a statement said it has identified proceeds of the crime and is still in the process of quantifying them.
The CBI FIR pertains to Truedom EPC India Pvt Ltd, an entity that took a 30 crore loan from Indian Overseas Bank to set up a 100.8MW windmill project. ED said funds were routed via associated shell entities to True Value Homes (P) Ltd and TVH Energy Resources (P) Ltd to settle the firm's existing liabilities.
ED claimed the involvement of Ravichandran and Nehru's son Arun Nehru, also an MP from Perambalur, in the diversion of funds, but said it has not fully unravelled the modus operandi. ED is still tracing additional assets and identifying other beneficiaries. The agency said evidence gathered during the searches revealed pre-fixed commissions for awarding tenders in the MAWS department, rigged procurement processes, and a well-organised nexus of officials, middlemen, and politically-linked individuals.
"Evidence of bribe collection for transfer/posting of officials of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department (MAWS), Tamil Nadu, has also been found," the ED statement said..
