The Enforcement Directorate has written to the Tamil Nadu Director General of Police requesting a criminal investigation into alleged bribery and corruption in recruitment exams conducted by the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department during 2024-26. In a letter dated October 27, 2025, the ED claimed that bribes ranging from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh per post were collected to manipulate the selection process. The agency reportedly discovered this evidence during searches in April 2025 related to a separate bank fraud case. The ED has shared digital evidence including photographs, WhatsApp chats, and hawala transaction records covering roughly 150 candidates. Since no money-laundering case can proceed without a predicate offence, the ED has invoked Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to share information with state police and requested an FIR be registered. Tamil Nadu state government sources have denied any wrongdoing.
Evidence from Bank Fraud Probe Reveals Exam Manipulation
The ED claims it uncovered incriminating digital evidence while investigating an alleged bank fraud linked to the brother of MAWS Minister K N Nehru, a senior DMK leader. During searches conducted in Chennai, Trichy, and Coimbatore in April 2025, the agency seized materials including photos, WhatsApp chats, and documents allegedly showing large-scale manipulation in the recruitment of officers and staff. The ED's letter alleges that public servants, politicians, associates, and candidates had access to confidential examination information and collected bribes through cash and hawala networks. Chief Minister M K Stalin distributed appointment letters to about 2,500 candidates on August 6, 2025. The ED has attached a 230-plus-page note correlating evidence with MAWS result sheets for roughly 150 candidates.
Request for FIR as Multiple DMK Leaders Face Central Probes
The ED cannot open a money-laundering investigation without a scheduled offence registered by a law enforcement agency. Therefore, it has requested the state police to file an FIR and provide a copy for initiating PMLA proceedings. The recruitment involved 2,538 posts including assistant engineers and sanitary inspectors, with about 1.12 lakh applicants in early 2024. Notably, the Madras High Court recently quashed the ED's case over the alleged bank fraud, ruling no crime was established. Several DMK leaders currently face Central agency probes, including former minister K Ponmudy, ex-minister Senthil Balaji, Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy, and Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu. The DMK has labelled these investigations politically motivated.
Source: Link