ED Raids Houses Of DMK MPs Kathir Anand, Durai Murugan Over 2019 ‘Cash For Votes’ Case – News18

Last Updated:January 03, 2025, 11:18 IST

Kathir Anand is linked to a ‘cash for votes’ case ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, which involved the seizure of Rs 11 crore from several locations associated with him.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided the houses of DMK MPs DM Kathir Anand and his father Durai Murugan in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore district along with other locations in connection with the 2019 alleged ‘cash for votes’ case.

Searches were conducted at around four locations in Tamil Nadu, all known associates of Kathir Anand. The ED team also reached Murugan’s residence in Vellore and began searches.

The case pertains to an Income Tax prosecution complaint filed in 2019 over alleged tax evasion, which involved officials seizing Rs 11.48 crore in cash from locations linked to Anand, ahead of the 17th Lok Sabha elections.

The Vellore by-poll was cancelled on the Election Commission’s decision over excessive use of money power after a large sum of cash was seized from the warehouse of a DMK candidate. The poll panel’s recommendation was made after cash seizures made from the premises of DMK treasurer Kathir Anand’s house in Vellore on March 29.

Based on information that illegal cash was moved from a college owned by the Duraimurugan family to a cement warehouse in Vellore, a second I-T search was conducted on April 1 and Rs 11.53 crore was seized.

In April 2019, officials raided the residences of fellow DMK leader Pooncholai Srinivasan and his cousin Damodharan, who are believed to be close associates of the Vellore MP, and seized about Rs 10 crores.