ED raids properties of former AIADMK minister R Vaithilingam in Thanjavur

THANJAVUR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Wednesday searched the residence of former AIADMK minister and Orathanadu MLA, R Vaithilingam at Uranthairayankudikadu village in Thanjavur district in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

Official sources said an eleven-member ED official team began a search in his residence Wednesday morning. In addition to this his room at the MLA hostel in Chennai, two houses, and an educational institution owned by his family members were also searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. In all, as many as six premises, including offices of some finance companies were raided

The raids were carried out, a month after the State Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had registered a disproportionate assets case against ten persons including Vaithilingam, his sons V Prabhu and V Shanmugaprabhu, brother-in-law R Panneerselvam, all directors of Muthammal Estates Private Limited, a shell company, besides KR Ramesh, Director of Shriram Properties and Infrastructure Private Limited.

Vaithilingam, a close associate of O Paneerselvam and former minister for Housing and Urban Development between 2011 and 2016 during the AIADMK regime, has been accused of using his official position to acquire assets in the name of his sons which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The DVAC in its FIR charged that a bribe of Rs 27.90 crore was credited to the bank account of Muthammal Estates Private Limited in 2016, under the guise of providing an unsecured loan to do an undue favour to Shriram properties towards the construction of an office-cum-residential complex in Perungalathur at Chennai.

Vaithilingam supporters cause commotion

Tiruchy: Tension prevailed for a while when the supporters of former minister R Vaithilingam converged in front of his house where ED conducted a raid at Thelungan Kudikadu near Orathanadu in Thanjavur on Wednesday. They caused commotion and raised slogans against the ED officials.

Sources said that on Wednesday at around 8 am, an 11-member team came to the former minister’s house near Orathanadu and commenced searching his house after conducting an inquiry with Vaithilingam and his son Prabhu.

The information about the raid spread like wildfire and supporters of Vaithilingam rushed to the spot. They started gathering in large numbers and resorted to sloganeering against the raid. After a short while, former minister Vellamani R Natarajan and his supporters also reached the spot triggering tension in the area. Soon, the gathering headed by Vellamani Natarajan became vociferous against the ED.

Subsequently, Vaithilingam, who came out of the house, asked his supporters and former minister Vellamani Natarajan to leave the spot. However, they kept on standing in front of the house until the raids were declared to be over in the late evening.