CHENNAI: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) booked former joint director of Drugs Control, PU Karthikeyan and his wife, Hemalatha, in a disproportionate assets case, months after Karthikeyan was arrested on graft charges.
Karthikeyan, who joined as a Drug Inspector in 1999, was serving as the joint director of Drugs Control when he came under the radar of anti-corruption cops. He was also holding the position of director (in charge) from June 1, 2025.
In July, Karthikeyan was arrested for demanding and accepting a Rs 25,000 bribe from a Vellore-based soap manufacturing business to clear a government licence application.
In the recent case, DVAC officials assessed the assets accumulated by Karthikeyan and Hemalatha in the period between January 1, 2020, and July 31, 2025.
During the assessment period, the couple purchased 218 sovereigns (1,748 grams) of gold articles valued at Rs 92.83 lakh and 17 silver articles weighing 11,076 grams, valued at Rs 8.85 lakh.
The couple deposited Rs 6.50 lakh during the check period. Officials recovered Rs 4.37 lakh in cash during searches conducted at their residence and Rs 60,500 in unaccounted cash from Karthikeyan's office table. The couple also purchased a car and an electric motorcycle.
At the end of the check period, as on July 31, 2025, the total movable properties acquired by Karthikeyan and Hemalatha amounted to Rs 1.27 crore, apart from acquiring assets valued at Rs 1.16 crore and savings of Rs 16.35 lakh.
"The value of disproportionate assets has been assessed at Rs 99.86 lakh, which works out to 121.7 per cent of the total income of Karthikeyan and Hemalatha during the check period," an official release stated.