CHENNAI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday launched coordinated raids at more than 30 places linked to state municipal administration minister K N Nehru’s brothers, Ravichandran and Manivannan, across Tamil Nadu, including Chennai.
The brothers own True Value Homes (TVH), which is into construction of luxury villas and flats in Chennai, Coimbatore, Trichy and other cities.
While there was no official statement on the objective behind the raids, sources told TOI that the searches were due to suspicion that their construction business was being used for money-laundering activities. Sources said ED had gathered evidence based on the GST returns filed by the firm.
The searches began simultaneously at the offices of True Value Homes in RA Puram, Adyar, Besant Nagar, Teynampet, CIT Colony and Besant Nagar in Chennai. Around 10 officers reached Ravichandran’s offices on Third Cross Street and Bishop Garden Extension in RA Puram in two vehicles. Another team of five officers went to GSNR Rice Industries Pvt Ltd in Alwarpet. In Coimbatore, ED teams reached the residence of Manivannan, the younger brother of Nehru, at Masakalipalayam.
In Trichy, DMK cadres gathered in large numbers in front of Nehru’s residence in Thillai Nagar and his other properties in the city, where ED was carrying out searches, leading to tension in the neighbourhood.
The Trichy police were mobilised near the entry and exits of the streets leading to Nehru’s properties for crowd control. However, sources said Nehru’s side directed party workers not to gather in public places.
Searches were carried out in Ramanathapuram too. In most of the places, the searches went on till late night, and sources said ED officers would camp overnight to continue the searches on Tuesday.