Tamil Nadu: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has written to the Tamil Nadu Police Chief alerting him about an alleged large-scale cash-for-jobs racket within the state’s Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department.
The agency claims to have uncovered the scam while probing a separate bank fraud case linked to real estate firm TVH and a relative of DMK Minister KN Nehru.
ED alleges bribes up to Rs 35 lakh for government jobs
According to the ED, bribes ranging between Rs 25 and 35 lakh were allegedly collected from candidates seeking appointments to posts such as Assistant Engineer, Junior Engineer, and Town Planning Officer. The appointments in question were handed over by Chief Minister MK Stalin on August 6 this year.
The central agency has alleged that the recruitment process for the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 batches was manipulated, with select individuals having advance access to examination details. The bribe money, it said, was handled in cash and moved through hawala channels to conceal its origins.
In its communication to the Tamil Nadu Police, the ED claimed to have gathered evidence suggesting that around 150 candidates who paid money were successfully appointed to government posts. Several officials and political figures have been named in the letter as being potentially linked to the scheme.
ED seeks FIR to initiate formal probe
The ED, which can only begin investigation into the case after a First Information Report (FIR) is registered by the state police, has requested Tamil Nadu authorities to take immediate action. The agency’s letter, according to a report India Today, includes details of alleged financial trails and communications indicating collusion between middlemen and departmental officials.
The development comes at a politically sensitive time for the DMK-led government, with the allegations striking at the integrity of the state’s recruitment process. The Tamil Nadu Police is yet to respond publicly to the ED’s request for action.
