ED flags new cash-for-job scam, asks TN cops to initiate probe

CITING evidence unearthed during a raid conducted earlier this year, the Enforcement Directorate has written a letter to the Tamil Nadu police on Monday alleging a cash-for-jobs scam in the selection of officers and staff to 2,538 posts in the state Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department. The appointment orders were handed over to the candidates by Chief Minister MK Stalin on August 6.

- SIDDHARTH PRABHAKAR @Chennai

In the communication sent under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to the Tamil Nadu Head of Police Force (HOPF), the ED has said that bribes of ₹25 lakh to 35 lakh were collected per post by powerful politicians and entities close to them for rigging the examination process in mid-2024 and awarding JOBS appointment orders in favour of at least 150 candidates in August 2025.

The agency has also sought a probe against the officials of Anna University which conducted the exams.

Along with the letter, the ED has also provided a 232-page dossier with the names of the suspected lynchpins of the alleged scam, detailing their role in it.