The Hindu : Senguttuvan's houses raided

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 10, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Senguttuvan's houses raided

By Our Staff Reporter

TIRUCHI JAN. 9. Officials of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption today conducted searches at the residences of the former Animal Husbandry Minister, P. M. Senguttuvan, of the DMK at Velakurichi, his native village, besides those in Tiruchi and Pondicherry.

The raids came over a month after the previous operation against some of the former DMK Ministers. On November 28, the DVAC conducted extensive searches at the residences of K. N. Nehru, other former Minister from this district.

Mr. Senguttuvan, who represented Marungapuri, was initially in-charge of HR&CE and later shifted to the Animal Husbandry department. Today, the DVAC officials, led by Thirugnanam, Superintendent of Police, descended on the Velakurichi house at around 9 a.m. The nearby house of relative was also searched simultaneously.

A separate team led by Suresh Kumar, DSP, searched a house on Malligai Street at Ashok Nagar near Karumandapam here, reportedly taken on rent by the former Minister. The house, used sparingly during his visits to Tiruchi, remained closed when the DVAC officials arrived. The raid commenced by noon after his son, Sakthivel, was brought in to open the house.

Mr. Senguttuvan, speaking to the media, claimed that no major seizure was effected except Rs.3,000 in cash. He charged the AIADMK Government with launching a witch-hunt against the former DMK Ministers.

The raids lasted over seven hours at his native place and about five hours in Tiruchi. Partymen, including Mr. Nehru, who arrived at Velakurichi, were not allowed access to enter the house.

`Incriminating documents seized'

Our Chennai Special Correspondent reports:

The DVAC later said in a release that the search had yielded "incriminating documents" on acquisition of property and valuables including 30 acres of land in the name of Mr. Senguttuvan's family members and close relatives, and on purchase of cars, vans, trucks, an excavator, an excavator-loader, besides two-wheelers, air-conditioners, refrigerators, TVs and other articles.

Also documents showing that he had repaid Rs.52 lakhs in loan were seized.

The release said neither Mr. Senguttuvan nor anyone in his family possessed assets before he became Minister in May 1996. He had only a small house and about five acres of land at Velakurichi. But in the period between May 1996 and May 2001, when he was Animal Husbandry Minister, he had acquired property and incurred expenses of about Rs.1 crore. A scrutiny of the documents portrayed that all property including vehicles were undervalued deliberately "to launder the ill-gotten money acquired by the ex-Minister through corrupt and illegal means". The acquisition of the property was far beyond his known sources of income, the DVAC said.

A criminal case had been registered under Section 109 of the IPC read with Section 13 (2) and 13 (1) (e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Mr. Senguttuvan and his sons, S. Pannerselvam and Sakthivel, daughter, R. Meenakshi, son-in-law, Rajalingam, and sister-in-law, P. Valli.

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