Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) [India], October 29 (ANI): Officials of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) questioned former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK Principal Secretary KN Nehru for over an hour at his Thillai Nagar residence in Tiruchirappalli, where an eight-member team conducted a search.
The DVAC team includes Deputy Superintendent of Police Hema Chithra and police inspectors Sakthivel and Prasanna Venkatesh. Officials have been asking Nehru various questions as part of their inquiry.
Meanwhile, more than 200 DMK cadres gathered outside Nehru's residence while the search and questioning continue.
The questioning is linked to allegations of a ₹634-crore bribe in the recruitment of junior engineers in the Municipal Administration Department during the previous government. The investigation follows information reportedly provided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
A case was registered by the DVAC against Nehru and others over alleged irregularities in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department. The allegations relate to corruption in recruitment, contract allocation and transfers during Nehru's tenure as the minister in charge of the department.
The FIR was registered after the Madras High Court directed the DVAC to initiate a probe into allegations raised in connection with the department. The agency named Nehru, his relatives and several officials in the case.
DVAC conducted searches at his residence and premises in Thillai Nagar earlier on September 5 also.
The ED had earlier shared details of the alleged irregularities with the state authorities, following which the matter came under scrutiny.
However, the Madras High Court later granted an interim stay on further vigilance action and proceedings against the accused, while legal proceedings in the matter continue. (ANI)
DVAC questions former DMK minister KN Nehru at his Trichy residence in alleged MAWS corruption case