CHENNAI: The CB-CID, which is investigating the seizure of Rs 3.98 crore cash on April 28, 2024, allegedly meant for bribing voters by incumbent Tamil Nadu BJP president and MLA Nainar Nagenthran in the Lok Sabha polls, has recently arrested a man named Sooraj on the charge of exchanging Rs 97.92 lakh in cash for a 1.5-kg gold bar, sources said.
The accused was later granted bail by the Sessions Judge of a Chennai court on July 10. The CB-CID, while opposing the bail plea, told the court that it has found evidence that indicate the involvement of BJP treasurer S R Sekhar, state general secretary (organisation) Kesava Vinayakan, and party’s industrial wing president Govardhan in the transaction.
The agency also said the Call Detail Record (CDR) data collected by it establish the role played by these leaders in attempting to distribute money to voters in Tirunelveli in support of Nagenthran who unsuccessfully contested as BJP candidate in the Tirunelveli Lok Sabha seat in 2024.
Nagenthran’s ID card found along with cash, says FIR
The CB-CID, in its submission to the court, stated that accused Sooraj was arrested on June 30 after he was found to have exchanged Rs 97.92 lakh following the sale of a gold bar. The probe revealed that Sooraj was approached by Vignesh, the driver of Govardhan, to carry out the transaction.
The case, initially investigated by the Tambaram City Police, was handed over to the metro wing of the CB-CID on April 28, which registered it as a case of election malpractice. The investigation began after officials seized Rs 3.98 crore in Rs 500 denomination notes from passengers S Sathish, S Perumal, and S Naveen, who were travelling from Chennai to Tirunelveli in the A1 coach of the Nellai Express.
The seizure was made by the election flying squad led by agriculture officer Senthil Balamani at the Tambaram railway station. An identity card belonging to Nagenthran was also found with the cash, the FIR notes.
Sources said that over the past year, the CB-CID had summoned Nagenthran, Vinayakan, Sekhar, Govardhan, and others multiple times for questioning, though they denied involvement. The probe linked Sathish, who worked as an office manager at Hotel Blue Diamond — allegedly owned by Nagenthran — to Govardhan, who owns a restaurant in Raja Annamalaipuram.
Reacting to the developments, BJP sources alleged that the DMK-led government was reviving the case ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections to disrupt Nagenthran’s efforts in alliance-building, calling the case “dead.”