TN DVAC search Telangana granite factories linked to ex-minister

Chennai, Jan 21 (IANS) The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) sleuths of Tamil Nadu were conducting searches at the premises of certain granite factories linked to former Tamil Nadu Minister and AIADMK leader K.P. Anbalagan.

The DVAC team from Tamil Nadu had conducted raids and searches at 58 places in Tamil Nadu linked to the former minister, his relatives, and friends. The police have also registered an FIR against Anbalagan, his wife, two sons, and daughter-in-law in a case related to a disproportionate assets case.

Sources in the DVAC informed IANS that they had in association with the police department of Telangana conducted searches at certain granite factories in Karimnagar district based on information received during the raids at Anbalagan's premises as also the properties of his relatives and friends.

According to the DVAC sources, the former minister has invested heavily in the granite industry of Telangana and the agency was trying to piece together all the information to bring up a proper charge sheet against him.

The searches are being conducted on Friday as well and DVAC sources revealed that along with Anbalagan a few politicians and more than ten businessmen from Tamil Nadu have invested in the granite business in Karimnagar. DVAC is continuing the searches in many parts of Telangana in a bid to unearth the benami transactions being carried out by the Tamil Nadu former ministers.

It is to be noted that ever since M.K. Stalin assumed office as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in May 2021, six former ministers of the previous AIADMK government were subjected to DVAC raids. This includes M.R. Vijayabhaskar, C. Vijayabaskar, S.P. Velumani, K.C. Veeramani, P. Thangamani and now K.P. Anbalagan.

The senior leadership of the AIADMK has already retorted to the raids being conducted at the premises of AIADMK leaders who were former ministers. AIADMK leaders and former Chief Minister's of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi K. Palaniswami had in a joint statement on Thursday said that the raids being conducted by the DVAC were politically motivated and out of vindictiveness and vendetta of the DMK and said that the AIADMK was a big banyan tree and that it could not be uprooted by such frivolous police raids.