Police Launch Manhunt For Senthil Balaji’s Brother In TVK MLA Bribery Case
Chennai: Police have launched a manhunt for Ashok Kumar, brother of former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji, after fresh arrests in connection with the alleged Rs 35 crore bribery offer made to a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA to influence his vote during a proposed no-confidence motion against the Assembly Speaker.
The development follows the arrest of three more suspects in Bengaluru, whose statements during interrogation allegedly linked Ashok Kumar and others to the conspiracy, police sources said. The arrested accused have been identified as Selvam (54) from Pallikaranai, Srinivasan (46) from Madambakkam, and Rajesh (43) from Chromepet.
The case stems from a complaint filed on June 29 by TVK MLA Dr N. Elaiyaraja, representing Uthangarai constituency in Krishnagiri district. In his complaint, the legislator alleged that a Chennai-based man, Thirunavukkarasu, contacted him on behalf of members of a major political party and offered Rs 35 crore in exchange for voting against the Speaker during a proposed no-confidence motion.
Elaiyaraja further alleged that he was threatened with serious consequences for himself and his family after rejecting the offer. Based on the complaint, the Triplicane police registered a case and arrested Thirunavukkarasu, Naresh and Thiagarajan on July 1. They were later remanded to judicial custody.
The investigation revealed that the individuals involved in the incident had acted on the advice of former Minister Senthil Balaji and his brother, Ashok Kumar; consequently, a case was registered against them under sections including the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation. Additionally, a special police team from Triplicane travelled to Karur and arrested Karthik (43) and Ramesh (45), both from Karur, for allegedly assisting the accused, subsequently bringing them to Chennai.
Based on the interrogation of these individuals, police subsequently arrested three others in Bengaluru on Friday. During the interrogation, the trio revealed that Karthik and Ramesh had met Naresh (from Trichy) at a star hotel on Chennai's East Coast Road to discuss the proposal to offer to a TVK MLA in exchange for voting against the Speaker during a motion in the Legislative Assembly.
The development follows the arrest of three more suspects in Bengaluru, whose statements during interrogation allegedly linked Ashok Kumar and others to the conspiracy, police sources said. The arrested accused have been identified as Selvam (54) from Pallikaranai, Srinivasan (46) from Madambakkam, and Rajesh (43) from Chromepet.
The case stems from a complaint filed on June 29 by TVK MLA Dr N. Elaiyaraja, representing Uthangarai constituency in Krishnagiri district. In his complaint, the legislator alleged that a Chennai-based man, Thirunavukkarasu, contacted him on behalf of members of a major political party and offered Rs 35 crore in exchange for voting against the Speaker during a proposed no-confidence motion.
Elaiyaraja further alleged that he was threatened with serious consequences for himself and his family after rejecting the offer. Based on the complaint, the Triplicane police registered a case and arrested Thirunavukkarasu, Naresh and Thiagarajan on July 1. They were later remanded to judicial custody.
The investigation revealed that the individuals involved in the incident had acted on the advice of former Minister Senthil Balaji and his brother, Ashok Kumar; consequently, a case was registered against them under sections including the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy, and criminal intimidation. Additionally, a special police team from Triplicane travelled to Karur and arrested Karthik (43) and Ramesh (45), both from Karur, for allegedly assisting the accused, subsequently bringing them to Chennai.
Based on the interrogation of these individuals, police subsequently arrested three others in Bengaluru on Friday. During the interrogation, the trio revealed that Karthik and Ramesh had met Naresh (from Trichy) at a star hotel on Chennai's East Coast Road to discuss the proposal to offer to a TVK MLA in exchange for voting against the Speaker during a motion in the Legislative Assembly.