Chennai, Aug 1:
Two days after raids at 41 locations in places linked to former DMK Minister V.Senthilbalaji and TASMAC officials, the DVAC on Friday evening arrested two people from Karur, the native place of the ex-Minister, in connection with the multi-crore liquor scam.
The DVAC registered cases late on Tuesday night against him and six others, charging them with massive irregularities in the state-run Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC), the wholesale retailer of Indian-Made Foreign liquor, between 2021 and 2025 when Senthil Balaji held the portfolios of Prohibition and Excise, and Electricity. As he apprehended arrest in the liquor scam after DVAC booked cases against him and six others after the raids at multiple locations, he secured anticipatory bail from Supreme Court after the Madras High Court nixed his plea.
The arrested were identified as Mulanoor Karthik and Ramesh and both were said to be closely linked to Senthilbalaji.
Karthik and his associate Ramesh were produced before the Principal Sessions Court and remanded in judicial custody.
The FIR named the senior DMK leader Senthil Balaji as the prime accused and six others–former TASMAC Managing Director S Visakan, Rama Durai Murugan and Panneer Selvam–both former TASMAC Managers–Bhaskar, a personal assistant of the Ex-Minister, private individuals Rathesh Raj S and Karthik, besides distillery and brewery companies, transport firms, bottling companies and other unidentified public servants and private individuals.
The agency has invoked provisions relating to criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and destruction of evidence under the Indian Penal Code and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.