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CBI arrests five in gutkha scam case, raids TN minister, police chief’s residences
CBI court in Chennai has remanded the accused to the judicial custody till September 20.
The AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu came under fire from the opposition DMK on Thursday after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested five people including two government officials in connection with the multi-crore rupee gutkha scam.
A CBI court in Chennai has remanded the accused to the judicial custody till September 20.
The arrests came after massive search operations by CBI at 35 places in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. On Wednesday, the CBI aided the houses of Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijaya Bhaskar, Director General of Police TK Rajendran, and former Chennai city police commissioner S George.
The three gutkha manufacturers arrested on Thursday are A V Madhava Rao, Srinivasa Rao and Uma Shankar Gupta who are also promoters of the Jayam group, which manufactures MDM Gutkha in Chennai.
The CBI also arrested Senthil Murugan, food safety officer, Tamil Nadu and N K Pandiyan, superintendent of central excise department, said a CBI spokesperson.
The agency also seized various documents from the places which were raided. Though search operations were completed in most places by Wednesday night, the CBI continued the raids for the second day at the residence of former Chennai city police commissioner S George.
The CBI also sealed the house of police inspector Sambath Kumar at Royapuram near Chennai on Thursday. Sambath is currently serving in Aarumuganeri of Tuticorin district. Earlier, he worked as an inspector in Puzhal police station near Chennai till 2017.
During a raid conducted in July 2016, the Income Tax officials had said that Madhava Rao one of the Gutkha manufacturer was involved in tax evasion of ₹250 crores.
A dairy seized from a godown of Madhava Rao in Red Hills, Chennai, had revealed that he allegedly paid Rs.39.91 crores as kickbacks to the health minister, former Chennai Police commissioners and other government officials to allow the sale of gutkha which has been banned in the state in 2013.
Though Minister Vijaya Bhaskar claimed that he was not involved in any wrong doing, the opposition DMK has urged chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to sack the minister and the DGP.
“Since the CBI has raided the houses of Vijaya Bhaskar and DGP Rajendran, both should resign from their current positions. If needed, the CBI should arrest both,” DMK president M K Stalin said.
Meanwhile, political analysts say that the CBI raids may not be completely above board.
“Union governments in the past have used CBI for political gains. So, one cannot say the current search operations are independent,” said A Kumaresan, a senior journalist and political analyst.
But Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan refuted allegations that the Centre was using the CBI to threaten the state government. “CBI is doing its duty without any interference. We don’t have any role in these raids,” Radhakrishnan said.
