COIMBATORE: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) registered a disproportionate assets case against former AIADMK Minister for Electricity P Thangamani accusing of amassing assets disproportionate of assets to the known source of his income and carrying out searches at 69 places across the state and in Karnataka and in Andhra Pradesh.
Thangamani acquired assets worth Rs 4.85 crores in excess of his toral income between May 2016 and March 2020, DVAC said in its FIR. It also said Thangamani and his son have invested a huge amount of money of their ill-gotten money in crypto assets.
Along with Thangamani, his son T Dharanidharan and wife T Santhi were also booked under sections 13(2), 13 (1)(b) and 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Dharanidharan and Santhi were also
booked under section 109 of IPC
Thangamani was the Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise between May 23, 2016 and May 6, 2021 in the previous AIADMK regime.
Discreet inquiry discloses Thangamani’s son Dharanidharan showed huge business in the name of Murugan Eaarth Movers which was only on paper and no actual business was carried. This was only to cover the illegal income and assets acquired by Thangamani, DVAC said.
Santhi is a housewife and does not hold any business but she intentionally aided Thangamani and Dharanidharan to acquire ill-gotten money and hide them from the eyes of the law by filing income tax.
Thangamani and his son have acquired many more assets which are disproportionate to his known source of income and kept in the name of their in-laws, relatives and associated in various places in and
around Tamil Nadu and outside, DVAC said in its FIR.
Following this, the DVAC sleuths are now carrying out searches at 69 places including 20 places in Namakkal, 14 places in Chennai and a few other districts Vellore, Salem, Karur, Tirupur and Coimbatore, apart from one place in Karnataka and two places in Andhra Pradesh.
Thangamani was the fifth AIADMK minister to be booked by the vigilance agency under the disproportionate assets case. Earlier, DVAC has registered disproportionate assets cases against MR Vijayabhaskar, SP Velumani, C Vijayabaskar, KC Veeramani.