DVAC searches 25 properties linked to DMK’s KN Nehru in Chennai and Trichy

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Thursday searched nearly 25 properties linked to senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and former minister KN Nehru in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli in a cash-for-jobs case, sparking allegations of political vendetta from his party.

This is the second round of searches in the case. In September 2026, the agency raided 19 locations over alleged irregularities in the recruitment of 2,538 people during Nehru’s tenure as municipal administration and water supply minister in the previous MK Stalin-led government.

Nehru currently represents the Tiruchirappalli West constituency and is the DMK’s deputy floor leader in the Tamil Nadu assembly

The DVAC case is based on communications from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), first sent in October 2025, which accused the senior politician of bribes in awarding tenders and making appointments in the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department. He denied the charge, calling the communication a smear campaign. In February this year, the high court ordered the state government to investigate the information sent by ED.

Thursday’s raids came days after the Madras High Court dismissed his review petition seeking cancellation of the FIR on October 26.

DMK president hits back

DMK president and former chief minister MK Stalin slammed the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, accusing the chief minister of trying to divert the public’s attention. The TVK government’s ‘Vettri Vendetta Politics’ targeting the DMK ministers by conducting such raids would fail before the law as was usual, he said in a party statement.

These kinds of raids would not even scare the DMK’s cadre as the searches are being conducted to create social media videos for the Tiruchirappalli East by-election and to make the chief minister scream dramatically on stage, Stalin said, adding that the chief minister believed these raids would muzzle the DMK.

“From now on, the DMK will expose the true motive of the TVK government even faster,” he added.