CHENNAI: In its third letter addressed to Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), the Enforcement Directorate has alleged corruption charges against K.N. Nehru, Minister of Tamil Nadu’s Municipal Administration and Water Supplies (MAWS), involving money laundering and running an organised system of corruption in the transfer and posting of government officers and engineers.
The agency has cited digital evidence, financial trails, and alleged corruption and money laundering to the tune of Rs 366 crore. The letter cites the digital evidence seized by the ED during the searches conducted in April 2025 at places linked to Minister K.N. Nehru.
If the DVAC registers a case, it will make a dent in the DMK during the upcoming Assembly elections.
The letter dated January 14, addressed to the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and the DVAC, states that the ED claimed it has recovered “many evidences which amount to a scheduled offence”.
The ED said it uncovered many instances of “bribes collected for the transfer and posting of government officers/engineers in the MAWS department”.
The ED insisted that the Tamil Nadu authorities register a criminal case immediately against Nehru and his associates.
The agency, recalling its earlier two letters on corruption and scams in the MAWS department in examinations, the selection process, and recruitment, categorically mentioned that this third note was on corruption in transfers and postings in the department.
The ED, in its communication, said, “The present note deals with evidence relating to corruption in the transfer of government officers/engineers of MAWS by Nehru and his associates.”
The letter, it is learnt, contains several other names of Nehru’s associates and gives evidence in tabular columns under several heads — ‘Summary of direct evidence of bribe’, ‘Money laundering of bribe money (proceeds of crime)’, ‘Money laundering of bribes through cash payment for the purchase of properties/investments’, ‘Money laundering of bribes through integrating in construction/real estate business’, ‘Money laundering of bribes for a luxury lifestyle’, and the need for registering an FIR.
Breaking : the Jan 14 letter sent to Dvac by ED has the following contents. No media house has published the news.
Biggest JOB scam in the history of TN.
TVH Series. pic.twitter.com/Qao8vvqmaE
— kishore k swamy 🇮🇳 (@sansbarrier) January 20, 2026
It is learnt that the ED claims the note, with a 99-page annexure, has traced how the proceeds from bribes were laundered under a special subheading, ‘Summary of direct evidence of money laundering’.
The letter is said to give details of the money laundered under various heads — business, real estate, construction, property investments, benami entities, investments in gold bullion, foreign properties, and luxury and lifestyle expenses — which run to a total of Rs 365.87 crore.
The ED note said, “The summary of money laundering is only restricted to evidence showing actual investments/expenditure, adding that it doesn’t include the evidence relating to the discussion of a hotel purchase of Rs 50 crore, the discussion of a 34-acre property in the USA, discussion of cash transactions to Singapore, discussions of a 3.23-acre property purchase in the USA worth Rs 70 crore, money laundering for foreign education/lifestyle, and the extravagant lifestyle of a few of his associates.”
The ED claims it has identified about 340 officers or engineers whose transfer and posting orders were found on the phones of the close associates of Nehru. It said, “This is direct evidence of bribe collection in transfers and postings of officers/engineers of MAWS.”
With these, the ED can frame Nehru under the PMLA if an FIR is registered by a state agency, which will pave the way for the ED to register the ECIR and proceed with further investigation. The ED said, “Since a large amount of evidence/information/material related to corruption by K.N. Nehru was found in the searches conducted, the evidence was transferred to other relevant cases and is being sent for initiation of necessary criminal action through registration of an FIR.”
The ED made it clear that “the evidence discussed is a small part of a much larger transfer and posting scam in government departments. The bribes are much larger in quantum, which needs to be investigated.”
The ED said that the probe will not stop with the MAWS department or Nehru and that other ministries will also come under the agency’s scanner, adding, “The bribes in transfer and postings of other ministries are also being collected through unknown persons. Bribes are being transferred through the hawala network, both within and outside the country, so as to keep the identity of the ultimate beneficiary secret and leave no traces of a money trail.”
The agency had earlier written to the state DGP on two instances, October 27, 2025, and December 3, 2025. The first was with regard to money collected as a bribe to the tune of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 35 lakh from candidates who appeared for the recruitment exams to get jobs in the MAWS department, and the second note involved details with regard to the manipulation of government contracts ranging from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent.
The ED claimed, “Direct evidence relating to the collection of Rs 1,020 crore in bribes was also provided. Both the said notes and the evidence stated therein dealt with specific areas of corruption involving the MAWS department.”
Nehru, in a statement earlier, accused the ED of embarking on a political hit job. He sought to dismiss the letter from the ED as an act of political vendetta.
AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the letter from the ED confirmed that the DMK led Stalin government was “a commission-collection-corruption regime”. There are charges of a cash-for-jobs scam against Nehru.
BJP state president Nainar Nagendran said the alleged corruption to the tune of Rs 1,908 crore in MAWS, Rs 160 crore in the Civil Supplies Department, and Rs 364 crore in the maintenance of toilets in Chennai showed how the DMK government has drained public money. “Is that what you call good governance?” he asked.
K. Annamalai, in a post on X, said, “It has come to light after cash for jobs (Rs 888 crore) to allot tenders worth Rs 1,020 crore and now cash for job transfer. The ED has sent the third letter to the DGP. These are the achievements of Minister K.N. Nehru. The ED has submitted details, pictures, WhatsApp conversations, digital evidence, etc., totalling Rs 365.87 crore.”
அரசுப் பணி வழங்க லஞ்சம் – ₹888 கோடி, ஒப்பந்தங்கள் வழங்க லஞ்சம் – ₹1,020 கோடி வரிசையில், மூன்றாவதாக, பணியிட மாற்றம் வழங்க லஞ்சம் வாங்கிய விவகாரம் வெளிச்சத்துக்கு வந்துள்ளது. இந்த லஞ்ச ஊழல் விவகாரத்தில் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கக் கோரி, மூன்றாவது அறிக்கை, தற்போது தமிழக காவல்துறை…
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) January 20, 2026
Annamalai said, “Despite solid evidence, hesitating or delaying to order a probe into the scam shows how the administration has gone worse during the DMK regime.”
TVK general secretary Arun Raj said, “The Stalin government has normalised corruption even as it spoke endlessly about development.” PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss has urged the government to register a case and initiate a probe.
