DVAC books former minister EV Velu, son over lake-bed excavation'

CHENNAI: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has registered a case against Tiruvannamalai MLA and former Minister EV Velu, his son Kumaran and others over unauthorised excavation of lake-bed material in Malappambadi village for levelling the venue of a DMK Northern Zone Youth Wing Conference held in December 2025, based on a complaint from Arappor Iyakkam. This is the second case registered against the former DMK minister by DVAC in the last 4 months.

The agency had registered an FIR against Velu and others on June 25 alleging that payments were made to a contractor before the commencement of road infrastructure works, resulting in corruption in the allotment of project funds.

In the latest case registered by the DVAC Tiruvannamalai unit, the conference was held on December 14 last year at Kalaignar Thidal in Malappambadi village on about 124.56 acres owned by Arunai Products and Services, in which Kumaran is a director. Velu, who was then the Minister for Highways, Minor Ports and Public Works, and the DMK Northern Zonal in-charge, had organised and supervised the conference, according to the document.

The DVAC said that its factual verification found unauthorised excavation of soil and gravel at several locations inside Malappambadi Lake. The lake, spread over 70.65 acres, had not been included in a June 2024 district notification permitting removal of clay, silt and gravel from certain water bodies. The FIR alleges that the excavated material was transported by excavators and trucks and used to level the conference venue. It further states that no permission had been obtained from the Revenue Department, Corporation or Geology and Mining Department for excavation and removal of material from Malappambadi Lake.

The DVAC also examined permissions obtained by Kumaran for removing clay and silt from nearby Palliyampattu lake. The FIR states that two permissions were issued in October and November 2025, but its verification found that no clay or silt had actually been removed from that lake.

The complaint had estimated that over 45.72 lakh cubic feet of lake-bed sand was removed from about eight acres of Malappambadi Lake, causing an estimated loss of Rs 8.22 crore to the government exchequer. The FIR records this as the petitioner’s calculation.

The FIR further alleges that officials of the Revenue Department, Corporation and Geology and Mining Department failed to take effective action despite complaints and information about the excavation.

The agency said a prima facie case of criminal conspiracy, unauthorised extraction/theft of lake-bed material, criminal misconduct by public servants and abetment was made out against Velu, Kumaran and others, with their specific roles and liabilities to be established during the investigation.