ED provisionally attaches assets of family members and associates of Ponmudy in illegal red earth quarrying case
The ED opened an investigation into the case based on a First Information Report filed by the Tamil Nadu police under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, against Mr. Ponmudy, Gautham Sigamani, and others
Between 2007 and 2010, when he was the Minister for Mines, K. Ponmudi had allotted five licences in the names of Gautham Sigamani, K.S. Raja Mahendran, and Jayachandran, who admitted to have acted on behalf of Mr. Sigamani in quarrying red earth from patta land, the ED said.
| Photo Credit: B. VELANKANNI RAJ
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Friday provisionally attached movable and immovable properties, worth ₹14.21 crore, belonging to the family members and associates of Tamil Nadu Minister for Higher Education K. Ponmudy and his son and former Kallakurichi MP P. Gautham Sigamani in the illegal red earth quarrying case.
The agency said in a release that immovable properties, worth ₹5.47 crore, held in the name of K.S. Raja Mahendran (the brother-in-law of Mr. Sigamani), and his entities, and movable properties, worth ₹8.74 crore, held in the name of M/s. Confluence, an entity belonging to the wife of Mr. Sigamani, had been identified and provisionally attached.
The ED opened an investigation in the case based on a First Information Report filed by the Tamil Nadu police under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, against Mr. Ponmudy, Mr. Sigamani, and others.
The investigation revealed that between 2007 and 2010, when Mr. Ponmudy was the Minister for Mines, he had allotted five licences in the names of Mr. Sigamani, Mr. Raja Mahendran, and Jayachandran, who admitted to have acted on behalf of Mr. Sigamani in quarrying red earth from patta land, the release said.
The investigation revealed that the red earth was extracted illegally, beyond the permitted limit, to the tune of ₹25.7 crore, and the sale proceeds were invested in an overseas entity.
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