Senior ADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Minister P Thangamani is the latest political figure to come under the scanner of Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), the state's premier anti-corruption agency. The agency had earlier conducted raids at the premises of several former ADMK ministers and on Wednesday - December 15, the sleuths had stormed into the properties that belong to Thangamani, a day after filing an FIR against him with the shocking revelations over his pile of wealth. 

Thangamani observes close ties with the current ADMK leadership and he had served as the Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity in the previous ADMK regime, led by Edappadi Palaniswami. The DVAC officials have been conducting the raids at the different parts of Tamil Nadu close to the former minister in connection with a disproportionate assets case. According to reports, the searches are being carried out at around 60 places in various districts of which 14 locations are in Chennai.

DVAC has filed an FIR against Thangamani and his family members on Tuesday and it reads that the former minister and his family have been found to have piled disproportionate income worth Rs 4.85 crore between 2016 and 2020. The FIR has named Thangamani as the first accused, his son Dharanidharan as the second accused, and his wife Santhi as the third accused. The FIR states that the former minister has acquired and was in possession of immovable and movable assets in his name and in the names of his family members, relatives, and others. 

These assets are identified to be disproportionate to his known sources of income. The officials have said that Thangamani had savings of about Rs 2.60 crore between May 23, 2016, and March 31, 2020, and the financial resources and properties that were acquired by him, his wife, and his son should not have exceeded Rs 2,60,08,282. However, the FIR has revealed that the former minister had acquired assets worth Rs 4,85,72,019 in excess, out of his total income, which is disproportionate to the known sources of income. 

Shockingly, the FIR says that Thangamani's son Dharanidharan had shown huge business under the name of Murugan Eaarth Movers. However, it has come to the revelation that it was a fake business as Murugan Eaarth Movers was only on paper and no actual business was carried out. It has highlighted that the former minister and his son have acquired more assets and amassed them in the name of their family members and relatives across and beyond Tamil Nadu, which had warranted the DVAC to conduct raids at several places. 

It has also been reported that there is reliable information that the former minister and his family had invested a huge amount in crypto assets. The FIR was filed against Thangamani, his wife, and his son on Tuesday under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The searches have been conducted in different places including Chennai, Namakkal, Karur, Vellore, Coimbatore and Salem. Thangamani is currently an MLA from the Kumarapalayam constituency. Several teams of DVAC are conducting searches in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. 

Thangamani is the fifth former ADMK Minister to face raids from DVAC after MR Vijayabhaskar, SP Velumani, KC Veeramani, and C Vijayabaskar. Our sources say that Thangamani is currently at his residence in his hometown of Govindhampalayam and he has been brought under investigation of DVAC based on the FIR. After learning that the former minister is facing raids, hundreds of his supporters and ADMK cadres have gathered before his residence and held protests against the DVAC and the state ruling DMK government for what they allege as raid politics.