CHENNAI, March 6 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a major raid on Thursday morning at multiple locations linked to DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Excise Minister Senthil Balaji in connection with a money laundering case.
The searches were carried out at 10 locations, including the residences of Balaji's relatives and close associates.
The ED teams conducted parallel operations in various cities of Tamil Nadu. In Karur, officials searched three premises under tight security arrangements made by the Central paramilitary troops.
ED officers allegedly entered the city in Kerala and Telangana-registered vehicles to go unnoticed. The raids targeted the residences of Karthik, owner of Kodai Nagar Shakti Mess, MCS Shankar from 80 Feet Road area, and Mani, owner of Kongu Mess in Rayanoor. Similar raids were also conducted in other cities across Tamil Nadu.
ED had previously filed a chargesheet against Senthil Balaji in August 2022 in a money laundering case. He was arrested on June 14, 2023, on charges of cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister. Balaji spent 471 days in jail before he got bail from the Supreme Court in September 2024. His previous bail applications were turned down repeatedly by the Madras High Court and lower courts.
Balaji, a former member of AIADMK, had served as a minister during the party's reign. Charges against him indicate that he indulged in rampant corruption during his term. He later switched sides to DMK and now serves with portfolios of Excise, Electricity, and Prohibition departments.
The recent ED raids again placed Tamil Nadu's DMK-led ruling government under the spotlight, with Opposition parties calling for an investigation into the allegations of corruption.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.