COIMBATORE: Personnel from the Lokayukta wing of Karnataka police on Thursday conducted a search in the house of Pynthamil Pari, son of former DMK Minister Pongalur N Palanisamy in the city in connection with an alleged violation in a mining case.
Around 15 police personnel arrived in two vehicles at the house of Pynthamil Pari, who is the deputy secretary of DMK sports development wing, in Krishna Colony near Sowripalayam. They did not seek assistance from local police, said sources. The search lasted for four hours and some documents were seized, sources added.
As per sources, Pari’s family was operating a mining business in a village near Chitradurga district in Karnataka. Also, they were facing cases related to alleged illegal mining and alleged mining beyond the permitted limits.
Pari said the officials did not seized anything. He added that the family had discontinued the quarry operations around 15 years ago. A relative, who owned the quarry, was out of station and therefore Lokayukta police searched his house because he was one of the directors in the business.
As per sources, Pongalur Palanisamy’s family owned a cement factory Maris Cements Private Limited Company, under the banner of Vijaya Mineral Exports group companies since 1989 in 325 acres of leased land from the Karnataka government in Chitradurga district, Later, the family possessed 175 acres of land where they had been mining.
In 2011, Karnataka Lokayukta said several mines had illegally exported ore worth more than `12,228 crore between 2006 and 2011 and arrested some political leaders. A SIT formed by the state government has been probing the case since then.