Coimbatore: Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) officials conducted searches at 59 places belonging to former AIADMK minister S P Velumanihis family members, close aides, friends and business partners on Tuesday. The searches were conducted in Coimbatore, Chennai, Salem, Namakkal, Krishnagiri and Tirupathur districts in the state and one place in Palakkad district in Kerala in connection with the disproportionate assets case.
The officials have seized gold worth 3.9 crore, silver utensils worth 88.87 lakh, 84 lakh and documents pertaining to cryptocurrency investments to the tune of 34 lakh from the 59 places during the raid.
“We found that former minister P Thangamani’s son T Dharanidharan and son-in-law S Dinesh Kumar were dealing with cryptocurrency (bitcoins). We are probing the possible investment of Velumani in cryptocurrency,” an official said.
The DVAC had on Monday registered one more first information report (FIR) against Velumani, sitting MLA from Thondamuthur, his elder brother P Anbarasan and wife S A Hemalatha, R Chandrasekar and K Chandraprakash of KCP Engineers Pvt Ltd and five of their family members, and three firms – Sri Maha Ganapathi Jewellers Pvt Ltd, Constromall Goods Pvt Ltd and Aalam Gold and Diamonds Pvt Ltd.
They were booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13(2) read with Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
As per the FIR, the asset value of Velumani and family members has grown from 1.04 crore in 2016 to 59 crore in 2021. “The check period is between April 27, 2016 and March 15, 2021. During the period in office, Velumani has amassed assets to the tune of 58,23,97,052 in his name and that of his wife, son, daughter, relatives and associates. This is disproportionate to the known sources of their income and comes to 3,928% of the total income,” the official said.
Last August, the DVAC had registered an FIR against Velumani and conducted similar searches at his properties and that of his associates.
On Tuesday, DVAC teams landed at the houses of Velumani (at Sugunapuram), his brother and five of his close aides – police inspector Chandrakantha, additional superintendent of police G S Anitha, inspector Loganathan, deputy superintendent of police Shanmugam and assistant director of town panchayat G Dwarakanath Singh – in the district in the morning. As the news spread, hundreds of AIADMK cadres gathered in front of Velumani’s house.
Searches were also carried out at the houses of S Malarvizhi, chairperson and managing trustee of Sri Krishna Institutions, Singanallur MLA KR Jayaram, R Chandrasekar and K Chandraprakash in the district.
In total, the searches were conducted at 42 places in the district, seven places in Chennai, four places in Salem, two places in Tirupur, one each place in Namakkal, Krishnagiri and Tiruppathur districts in the state. In Salem, searches were conducted at AVR Swarnamahal and its branches, and a house belonging to Saravanakumar, superintending engineer of DRDA in Chennai. “We have seized mobile phones, locker keys of several banks, laptops, computer hard discs and other documents pertaining to the case,” the official said.
The official said Velumani had converted illegal pecuniary resources to legal money through various firms in the names of his relatives and associates. “He acquired assets in the name of his relatives and associates in and around Tamil Nadu and outside. He may have accumulated assets in foreign countries, as the foreign trips undertaken by Velumani and his family members are numerous.”
The officials have seized gold worth 3.9 crore, silver utensils worth 88.87 lakh, 84 lakh and documents pertaining to cryptocurrency investments to the tune of 34 lakh from the 59 places during the raid.
“We found that former minister P Thangamani’s son T Dharanidharan and son-in-law S Dinesh Kumar were dealing with cryptocurrency (bitcoins). We are probing the possible investment of Velumani in cryptocurrency,” an official said.
The DVAC had on Monday registered one more first information report (FIR) against Velumani, sitting MLA from Thondamuthur, his elder brother P Anbarasan and wife S A Hemalatha, R Chandrasekar and K Chandraprakash of KCP Engineers Pvt Ltd and five of their family members, and three firms – Sri Maha Ganapathi Jewellers Pvt Ltd, Constromall Goods Pvt Ltd and Aalam Gold and Diamonds Pvt Ltd.
They were booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13(2) read with Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
As per the FIR, the asset value of Velumani and family members has grown from 1.04 crore in 2016 to 59 crore in 2021. “The check period is between April 27, 2016 and March 15, 2021. During the period in office, Velumani has amassed assets to the tune of 58,23,97,052 in his name and that of his wife, son, daughter, relatives and associates. This is disproportionate to the known sources of their income and comes to 3,928% of the total income,” the official said.
Last August, the DVAC had registered an FIR against Velumani and conducted similar searches at his properties and that of his associates.
On Tuesday, DVAC teams landed at the houses of Velumani (at Sugunapuram), his brother and five of his close aides – police inspector Chandrakantha, additional superintendent of police G S Anitha, inspector Loganathan, deputy superintendent of police Shanmugam and assistant director of town panchayat G Dwarakanath Singh – in the district in the morning. As the news spread, hundreds of AIADMK cadres gathered in front of Velumani’s house.
Searches were also carried out at the houses of S Malarvizhi, chairperson and managing trustee of Sri Krishna Institutions, Singanallur MLA KR Jayaram, R Chandrasekar and K Chandraprakash in the district.
In total, the searches were conducted at 42 places in the district, seven places in Chennai, four places in Salem, two places in Tirupur, one each place in Namakkal, Krishnagiri and Tiruppathur districts in the state. In Salem, searches were conducted at AVR Swarnamahal and its branches, and a house belonging to Saravanakumar, superintending engineer of DRDA in Chennai. “We have seized mobile phones, locker keys of several banks, laptops, computer hard discs and other documents pertaining to the case,” the official said.
The official said Velumani had converted illegal pecuniary resources to legal money through various firms in the names of his relatives and associates. “He acquired assets in the name of his relatives and associates in and around Tamil Nadu and outside. He may have accumulated assets in foreign countries, as the foreign trips undertaken by Velumani and his family members are numerous.”