CHENNAI: Closing in on yet another DMK leader, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Thursday conducted searches at 25 premises across Tamil Nadu linked to former minister KN Nehru in connection with an alleged cash-for-jobs scam case involving recruitment to the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department.

The searches came after the Madras High Court cleared the decks for the DVAC to investigate the alleged Rs 634-crore scam linked to the former minister.

During the simultaneous searches that were conducted in Chennai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore, Namakkal, and Tirunelveli, among other locations, the agency seized 170 documents and 13 electronic gadgets, it said in an official statement.

The move came merely days after the Chennai police arrested Nehru’s cabinet colleague Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in an alleged scam.
The DVAC had registered the case in June against Nehru and seven others based on a dossier from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Chennai.

The case relates to alleged corruption and irregularities in the recruitment of 2,538 candidates to various posts in the department. According to DVAC, money was collected from ineligible candidates who were appointed to posts including assistant engineer, junior engineer, sanitary inspector, and draughtsman.

The agency is also investigating allegations that the bribe money was routed through hawala channels during 2024-25.

Since the TVK-led government headed by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay came to power, the DVAC has so far registered two cases against Nehru. According to the other case, registered by the Special Investigation Cell of the DVAC on September 4, Nehru and 12 others allegedly manipulated tenders for contracts worth more than Rs 1,020 crore and collected bribes between 2021 and 2025.