CHENNAI: A few hours after a video purportedly showing Mambakkam panchayat president and TVK functionary Veerasami accepting a bribe to facilitate the clearance of roadwork bills worth Rs 9.8 lakh went viral on Wednesday, he was removed from the party and detained by the Thazhambur police for questioning.
C V Dhinakaran, Chengalpattu district secretary of the TVK, announced that Veerasami has been removed from the party’s primary membership and stripped of all party posts. An FIR will be registered after questioning him, the police said.
Veerasami, who was removed from office through a no-confidence motion passed by ward councillors in June last year, rejoined his position around 20 days ago following an order from the Madras High Court. Notably, he was previously associated with the DMK before joining the TVK in 2024. He was appointed joint secretary of the TVK’s Chengalpattu East District unit in February this year.
In the video that surfaced on social media, Veerasami is allegedly seen receiving bribe from a man alleged to be a contractor. The payment was made in exchange for allegedly persuading the Block Development Office (BDO) officials to clear pending bills related to road-laying work.
According to sources, a contractor identified as Naveen (24) had completed roadwork valued at Rs 9.8 lakh in Mambakkam panchayat. To facilitate the release of the payment, Veerasami allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh as bribe but he later settled for Rs 75,000. Sources further claimed that Naveen paid Rs 50,000 on July 9 through Gpay. When he approached Veerasami again on July 10 regarding the pending bill, the panchayat president allegedly demanded Rs 2 lakh.
After Naveen expressed his inability to pay the amount, the demand was allegedly reduced to Rs 1.3 lakh. Subsequently, on July 11, Naveen is said to have transferred Rs 50,000 via Gpay and handed over another Rs 30,000 in cash at Veerasami’s office. A person accompanying the contractor secretly recorded the cash transaction, and the footage later surfaced online.
Veerasami was elected president of Mambakkam panchayat in October 2021. In September 2023, following complaints from ward members of Wards 1, 2 and 5 alleging misappropriation of funds, the district collector suspended his cheque-signing powers. In May 2025, six ward members moved a no-confidence motion against him, leading to his removal from office.
However, after approaching the high court, Veerasami secured an order reinstating him as panchayat president and resumed office around June 25.
Responding to the allegations, Veerasami maintained that the money seen in the video was merely the repayment of a loan he had extended to the contractor. He also asserted that he had no authority to clear official bills.
Lodge bribery plaints using WhatsApp
Chennai The state government has launched a WhatsApp helpline for reporting bribery and corruption-related complaints across the state. Complaints can be submitted via WhatsApp on 9498180936. In a letter dated July 14, Chief Secretary M Sai Kumar directed secretaries of all departments and district collectors to prominently display the contact details for lodging corruption-related complaints in all government offices. Citizens can register complaints through WhatsApp or by email <dvac@nic.in> apart from contacting the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on 044-22321090, 044-22321085, 044-22310989 and 044-22342142.