TENKASI: Tenkasi district administration on Tuesday recovered a 2.6-acre government poramboke land worth Rs 5 crore which was encroached by the family members of Valparai's suspended municipality commissioner.
This comes after the Tenkasi unit of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) registered a case on January 3 against the 'habitual offender' K Pavunraj, and seized about 50 documents in connection with his illegal assets. According to official sources, Pavunraj is an accused in at least two cases of swindling around Rs 16 crore belonging to Valparai municipality in Coimbatore district while serving as its commissioner in 2021.
As per revenue officials, the recovered land is within the limits of Puliyangudi municipality in Tenkasi, the officer's hometown.
"The land is classified as poramboke (mayanam or burial ground) and Pavunraj's mother K Mammathu, and his relative P Esakkirasan were running a brick kiln on it for the past five years. Based on District Collector D Ravichandran's instruction, Tenkasi revenue divisional officer Lavanya, Kadayanallur tahsildar Ganga, Puliyangudi police, and local body officials recovered the land and fenced it," said a revenue official. When contacted by TNIE, collector Ravichandran confirmed the land recovery.
Tenkasi DVAC police, after registering a case, had raided his house and its premises and allegedly seized around 50 documents on January 4. "It was found that Pavunraj has amassed 179.35% (1.98 crore) of disproportionate assets against his actual income. He earned this by indulging in irregularities in government contract works and used the money to purchase properties including agriculture land, house plots, cattle farms, brick kilns, paver block factories and vehicles, and invested in garment companies," said a DVAC official.
Coimbatore District Crime Branch had registered two cases against Pavunraj under several sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act for swindling Valparai municipality's money in 2021.