DMK’s Anbil Mahesh booked for private school approvals scam

CHENNAI: The Central Crime Branch of the Greater Chennai Police booked former School Education Minister and DMK leader Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Wednesday and launched simultaneous searches at nine locations in Chennai and Tiruchy, in connection with a multi-crore fraud involving recognition for private schools.

After hours of search at his residence, Mahesh was issued a summons to appear before the investigating officer at the city police commissionerate on Friday.

The police seized 118 documents including property papers, bank statements, cheque books, 18 mobile phones, three laptops, eight pendrives, two desktops, a tablet and an iPad.

Of the nine locations searched, four (two each in Chennai and Trichy) belonged to Mahesh and the remaining were premises linked to his associates Valadi Karthik, Arun Prakash and Prakash.

Speaking to reporters at his house in Anna Nagar, Mahesh described the action as diversionary tactics by the TVK that wants to silence Opposition members who raise issues affecting the welfare of the people.

During the police search at the former minister’s residence in Trichy, several DMK cadres gathered raising slogans against the ruling TVK.

According to the police, the case is based on a complaint filed by Elangovan, secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu. He alleged that a network collected money from private school managements by promising government approvals, including permanent recognition, upgradation, DTCP clearance and other clearances.

Based on the complaint, the CCB registered a case and arrested the prime accused, BT Arasakumar (59) of Saligramam, on June 27.

A preliminary inquiry has revealed that several crores of rupees were allegedly collected from 177 private schools on false assurances. Bank accounts linked to the accused, their family members and associates have been identified and frozen. Twenty accounts linked to Arasakumar and his family and 29 accounts linked to another suspect Muthukumar are under scrutiny.

The police said that over 250 people, including several officials from the School Education Department, have been examined across Tamil Nadu.