Police stand outside former Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi’s Thennur Anna Nagar home in Tiruchi during a Central Crime Branch search related to an ongoing investigation on September 16, 2026.
| Photo Credit: R. Vengadesh
A team from the Central Crime Branch, Chennai City, began a search at the residences of former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi at Tiruchi and Chennai on Wednesday (September 16, 2026).
A five-member team began the operation at 7:30 a.m. at Mr. Poyyamozhi’s residence in Thennur Anna Nagar, Tiruchi, related to an alleged multi-crore fraud involving private schools during the previous DMK regime when he was Minister.
Earlier, the Central Crime Branch had registered a case and arrested B.T. Arasakumar on charges of collecting large sums of money amounting to around ₹100 crore from private school managements for upgrading schools, gaining permanent recognition and securing building plan approvals.
Arasakumar had run an unregistered association named Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association.
Raid an act of political vendetta, diversionary tactic of TVK-led government: Stalin
DMK president and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin termed the police searches at the houses of former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in Chennai and Tiruchi an act of political vendetta and a diversionary tactic of the TVK-led government.
In a post on X, Mr. Stalin listed several issues in Tamil Nadu, including protests by people affected by power cuts; protests by fishermen in Pattinapakkam against the construction of an Assembly-Secretariat complex; protests by relatives of those who went missing in Nepal flash floods over not receiving a proper response from the government; people struggling due to a shortage of Aavin milk; a double murder in Ramanathapuram; a government bus driver beaten to death during the Vinayagar Chaturthi procession in Chennai; and the harassment of a woman police constable by a TVK functionary in Ayanavaram.
“Ignoring all these issues that are shaking the State, the Chief Minister [C. Joseph Vijay] is conducting a shoot in London. In frustration over its inability to resolve these issues, the incompetent TVK government has unleashed raids as a weapon against former Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi to divert the people’s attention,” Mr. Stalin said.
He said the DMK would legally fight against what he termed “a blatant act of political vendetta.” Mr. Stalin also said conducting searches against the Opposition cannot ease the people’s anger and that the TVK-led government will soon realise that false allegations will not stand before the law either.
Published – September 16, 2026 09:40 am IST
