ED seizes Rs 13.7 crore from DMK MP Kathir Anand's college in Vellore

CHENNAI: The searches by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) at the private college in Vellore owned by DMK MP Kathir Anand unearthed Rs 13.7 crore in cash, documents, and a computer hard disk, said a Thanthi TV report. Kathir Anand is a second-time MP and the son of senior DMK leader and minister Duraimurugan.

On January 3, the sleuths from the central agency searched Kingston Engineering College in Vellore, for which Kathir Anand is the chairman. The operations involving more than 15 officials lasted for 44 hours.

During the searches at the college, ED officials reportedly checked the CCTV cameras in the premises, and recovered unaccounted money, documents related to the college and its bank transactions, and a hard disk, the report added.

The seized money was reportedly kept to pay salaries and Pongal festival bonuses to college staff, and it also included fees paid by the students.

After two days of search, the ED seized Rs 2.74 crore and hard disks, and sealed the server room.

The searches were part of a probe into a 2019 Income Tax case against Kathir Anand over cash-for-votes charges ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. More than Rs 10 crore was seized from premises allegedly related to Anand’s associates in Vellore, which led to the cancellation of the election in the Vellore constituency.