Chennai CCB questions Anbil Mahesh for over an hour in Rs 100-crore case

Former School Education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi on Friday appeared before the Chennai Central Crime Branch police here for questioning in connection with the private school approval fraud case. The DMK leader against whom the CCB has registered a Prevention of Corruption Act case was accompanied by his advocates. The police questioned him for over an hour, a source said.

The summons follow an intensive eight-hour search on Wednesday by the CCB at the residences and premises of the DMK leader in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli over his alleged involvement in a Rs 100 crore bribery scam where money was allegedly collected from 177 private school managements in exchange for permanent government recognition.

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As many as 118 items including property deeds, bank statements, 18 mobile phones, laptops and tablets were seized during the raid which was initiated following a complaint by a private school association. The police arrested one B T Arasakumar and two others in June. Later, responding to the searches, Anbil Mahesh denied allegations levelled against him and termed the raid as "political vendetta" and diversionary tactics by the ruling TVK.

He had claimed that the action on him followed his public speeches criticising the state government's plan to establish a new Secretariat-Assembly complex at an estimated cost of Rs 1,200 crore. "Every room, every drawer was checked. We fully cooperated. The officials themselves said such cooperation is rare," the former minister told reporters later while speaking about the raids. "The police took away documents that I had maintained regarding Class 10 and 12 examination results when I was the School Education Minister, and also the documents pertaining to my inspection.... I will definitely cooperate with the investigating officials," Anbil Mahesh said on the summons for questioning.