CHENNAI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has seized Rs 13.18 lakh in cash, frozen 56 bank accounts and two demat accounts, and recovered documents relating to 36 immovable properties, with a market value of over Rs 20 crore, during searches conducted in connection with the alleged money laundering linked to the 2017 Teachers Recruitment Board Polytechnic Lecturer recruitment scam.

The searches were carried out on Tuesday at 21 premises across Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchy and Coimbatore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to the ED, documents relating to 36 immovable properties with a guideline value of about

Rs 9.67 crore, with estimated market value exceeding Rs 20 crore, were seized. The agency also recovered digital evidence, alleged records of cash collections, carbon copies of OMR answer sheets of various government recruitment examinations and copies of candidates’ certificates.

The ED initiated its investigation based on a 2017 FIR registered by the Tamil Nadu police alleging manipulation of scanned OMR answer sheets to inflate marks of some candidates in the recruitment examination for Polytechnic Lecturers conducted by the TRB.

The ED alleged that the conspiracy was orchestrated by V Subramanian and his associate Suresh Paul, with the assistance of technical staff of M/s Datatec, identified as Shaik Dawood Nassar and I Raghupati.