The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a 232-page dossier to the Tamil Nadu police chief detailing what it describes as a large-scale “cash-for-job” scam in the state’s Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department, allegedly involving Minister KN Nehru, his brothers, and close associates.
The dossier, accompanied by a four-page covering letter dated 27 October 2025, was shared under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), urging the Tamil Nadu Police to initiate a formal investigation. The ED’s report alleges that bribes ranging from ₹25 lakh to ₹35 lakh were collected from candidates seeking government posts for engineers, inspectors, and other technical positions.
According to ED sources, the document provides digital, documentary, and witness-based evidence concerning the appointment of 2,538 officers and staff, including about 150 candidates who allegedly secured positions through manipulated selection processes. The posts included assistant engineers, junior engineers, town planning officers, and sanitary inspectors.
Alleged Modus Operandi
The ED claims the recruitment scam was orchestrated by Nehru’s close network — brothers KN Manivanan and Ravichandran, and associates D Ramesh, T Selvamani, and Kavi Prasad — who allegedly acted as intermediaries between job aspirants and political authorities.
As per the dossier, aspiring candidates or their relatives first approached these associates, who then determined the feasibility of securing a job and negotiated the bribe amount. Once payment terms were finalized, the group allegedly ensured the inclusion of the candidate’s name in the final merit list. The ED alleges that Nehru was fully aware of these activities.
Digital evidence recovered during searches in April 2025 — including WhatsApp conversations and shared documents — allegedly reveals coordination among these intermediaries. The ED claims that between August 2024 and February 2025, Ramesh, Selvamani, and Kavi Prasad accepted candidate recommendations from MLAs, senior officials, and brokers, influencing the recruitment outcomes.
The MAWS Department had conducted written examinations in June 2024, declared results on February 17, 2025, and completed counselling in July. The ED says it retrieved application forms and call letters from the phones of intermediaries dated before the official announcement of results — indicating foreknowledge of selections.
One of the WhatsApp lists recovered from Ramesh’s phone allegedly contained candidate names marked with priority codes. Many of those on the list reportedly received appointment orders. The dossier also cites a message from a broker thanking Selvamani for helping secure selections and seeking similar assistance for postings in the Greater Chennai Corporation and Tambaram Corporation.
ED further alleges that Ravichandran facilitated the selection of a joint director’s daughter in the Industries Department, while Kavi Prasad helped a previously unselected candidate make the final cut. Images of ₹10 notes allegedly used in hawala transactions were also found in group chats between these associates, the report claims.
Responses and Political Fallout
When contacted, Minister KN Nehru declined to comment, citing an ongoing meeting. His brother Manivanan and associate Kavi Prasad denied any connection to the case, while Ramesh, Ravichandran, and Selvamani did not respond to calls.
Nehru later dismissed the ED’s claims as “politically motivated,” alleging that the agency was attempting to malign the Dravidian model government. “After failing to blow up an old bank case, this is ED’s latest attempt to malign the Dravidian model government,” he said.
Opposition leaders have demanded an immediate and transparent probe. AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami called the alleged scam a “cruel betrayal of Tamil Nadu’s youth,” urging the police to register an FIR and act swiftly. BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran and former state chief K. Annamalai have demanded that the case be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The Tamil Nadu Police is expected to review the dossier and determine the next course of action.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
