Tamil Nadu ex-minister, kin raided for graft

Chennai, May 17 (IANS) The houses of former Tamil Nadu minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam, his relatives and his two personal assistants were Thursday raided by officials of the anti-corruption wing, the probe agency said.

DMK leader and former agriculture minister Arumugam's house in Salem, around 330 km from here, was raided by vigilance officials who charged him with accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

In a statement issued here, the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) said a case was registered against Arumugam under the Prevention of Corruption Act on the basis of an inquiry, which suggested that he had accumulated in his and in his family members' names assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to the DVAC, Arumugam acquired illegal assets worth Rs.2.88 crore during the period May 13, 2006, to May 13, 2011, while he was the agriculture minister in the DMK government.

Officials of the DVAC also searched the houses of Arumugam's sons, relatives and his two personal assistants.