The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption registered a case against the DMK general secretary and several others regarding alleged irregularities.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has registered a case against DMK general secretary and former Water Resources Department (WRD) Minister Duraimurugan and several others in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining scam, according to The Hindu.
The case involves the former minister, retired Engineers-in-Chief A. Muthaiya and Ramamoorthi, 14 WRD officials, and 10 private firms or individuals. The investigation follows complaints from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and two others regarding sand mining activities at 28 quarries in Tamil Nadu between 2021 and 2024.
The complainants alleged that contracts were issued through limited tenders rather than open tenders. It is further alleged that sand was extracted in excess of permitted amounts and that fake vouchers, labelled as ‘Permit Slips’, were used to move the sand illegally.
An assessment of four of the 28 sites indicated a loss of ₹1,427 crore to the State exchequer. The ED had previously flagged a potential ₹4,730 crore scam, noting that while the illegal mining value was high, the revenue recorded by officials was only ₹36.45 crore.
DVAC teams conducted searches at 34 locations across the state on Friday. During these searches, officials seized 825 documents, 11 electronic gadgets, and three bank locker keys.
The investigation into the contracting and extraction practices at the identified quarries is ongoing.
