Gold trail leads to revival of ‘cash-for-votes' case against Tamil Nadu BJP chief
The case, once dismissed as 'dead' by the BJP leadership, has gained new traction with the arrest of a key accused, who police said admitted to converting gold into cash — tightening the probe around Nagendran's inner circle. The deepening scandal has led to fears in the Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP that Nagendran could face arrest ahead of next year's Assembly election in the state.
According to court documents, investigators arrested a man named Sooraj on June 30 for allegedly exchanging Rs 97.92 lakh in cash after selling a 1.5-kg gold bar. The CB-CID told the Principal Sessions Court in Chennai that Sooraj was approached by Vignesh, the driver of BJP's industrial wing president Govardhan, allegedly to facilitate the transaction. The agency alleged that call record analysis confirmed the involvement of Govardhan, BJP treasurer S R Sekhar, and state general secretary (organisation) Kesava Vinayakan in the distribution effort.
Police suspect the money was intended to be funnelled to voters in Tirunelveli in support of Nagendran, who contested and lost the parliamentary seat in 2024. The court granted Sooraj bail on July 10, noting that the offences listed under Sections 171(C), 171(E), 171(F), and 188 of the Indian Penal Code are bailable.
The case originated on April 6, 2024, when a flying squad of the Election Commission and Tambaram police seized Rs 3.98 crore in Rs 500 notes from three men aboard the Nellai Express. The trio — S Sathish, S Perumal, and S Naveen — claimed the cash was to be distributed to voters on Nagendran's instructions. Sathish, identified as the manager of a Chennai hotel allegedly owned by Nagendran, was in possession of the BJP leader's identity card and other documents, according to officials.
Although the case was initially handled by Tambaram police, it was transferred to the CB-CID's Metro wing in April. Since then, the agency has summoned multiple BJP leaders, including Nagendran, for questioning. While Nagendran has denied any connection to the seized cash, CB-CID investigators have maintained that the money trail and testimonies point to a coordinated effort involving top state BJP leaders.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
27 minutes ago
- Mint
'Speak in Marathi or get out': Fight over seat in Mumbai local train turns into language row — Watch Viral video
Once again, an incident of language row has come to light in Maharashtra's capital, Mumbai, where an argument over a seat on a local train turned into a full-blown language war, with one woman telling the other to learn Marathi or 'get out'. The incident happened on Friday evening in the crowded ladies' compartment on the Central Line. The incident was also captured on camera and shared on social media platforms. The video that went viral on social media, showed six to seven women arguing over a seat. During the debate, one woman criticised another female passenger for not speaking in Marathi language. "If you want to stay in our Mumbai, speak Marathi, otherwise get out," she said. Soon after, other local women in the train joined the fight. This incident came amid ongoing language row in Maharashtra, with Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena party workers being condemned for targeting and abusing people for not speaking in Marathi. Earlier this month, a shopkeeper in Mumbai's Vikhroli area was assaulted by MNS workers over a WhatsApp status deemed offensive to Marathi people. The video of the incident showed the shopkeeper being forced to apologise publicly while being assaulted. Recently, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray asserted that he would not accept any attempt by the Maharashtra government to implement a three-language policy in the state. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray on Friday said if Hindi was made mandatory for Classes 1 to 5 in schools in Maharashtra, his party will "shut down schools". Speaking at a rally at Mira Bhayandar near Mumbai, he referred to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's latest averment that Hindi will be taught in state schools at any costs. Thackerayalso hit back at BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's controversial "patak-patak ke maarenge" remarks. In a counter-attack, Raj Thackeray said, 'A BJP MP said, 'Marathi logon ko hum yahan pe patak patak ke maarenge'... You come to Mumbai. Mumbai ke samundar mein dubo dubo ke maarenge.'
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
Puri Teen Set Afire Ran With Hands Tied, Mouth Gagged, Witness Tells NDTV
Puri: The 15-year-old girl set on fire in Odisha's Puri yesterday was running on the road as the flames burned her skin away. Her hands were tied and her mouth gagged as she ran through a neighbourhood, her eyes screaming for help. Dukhishyam Senapati, an eyewitness who helped douse the flames and contacted the girl's family, recounted the horrifying sight he witnessed in an interview with NDTV. "The girl was on fire when she came running towards my house. Her hands were tied and she had suffered serious burns. My wife, daughter and I doused the flames and gave her new clothes. Then, I spoke to her. She told me she lived in a nearby village." Asked if he had heard any screams before he spotted the girl, he said the criminals had tied up the girl's hands and gagged her mouth. "We heard nothing. She was gagged, and her hands were tied. She told me that three men on two bikes forcibly brought her here, poured kerosene and set her on fire," he said. According to the preliminary investigation, three men on a bike waylaid the girl, forcibly took her to a riverbank and then set her on fire. The girl somehow managed to escape the clutches of the criminals and started running; she was still on fire. The criminals fled the spot and are on the run. The girl has suffered 70 per cent burns and was airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for treatment. Mr Senapati said the girl was in a lot of pain and could only tell him that three men had set her on fire. "I also went and looked around for the attackers, but they had fled. I then contacted the girl's family and called the police. We then took her to the nearby community health centre from where she was shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar," he said. The shocking incident in Puri follows the self-immolation of a college student in Odisha's Balasore district to protest sexual assault by a faculty member and inaction by the college authorities. The Balasore student died of her severe burn injuries. The Puri teen was airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for better treatment today. Deputy Commissioner of Police Jagmohan Meena told the media that a green corridor was emptied to take the patient from AIIMS Bhubaneswar to the Biju Patnaik International Airport. The ambulance covered the 11 km distance within 12 minutes and an air ambulance flew her to the national capital. "The patient's condition is stable, and her blood pressure, which was low yesterday, has improved. It's safe to transfer her," AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director Ashutosh Biswas told reporters before her departure. The girl can speak now and police have recorded her statement and stepped up their investigation. Her mother has registered a complaint, in which she has said the teen had dropped out of school and her father is a motor mechanic. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi has said he is "deeply saddened" by the Puri incident and that he would pray to Lord Jagannath for the girl's speedy recovery. The Opposition BJD has launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led state government. Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said this incident has taken place within a week of the Balasore tragedy. "Such unthinkable incidents against women are now being reported almost daily across Odisha. These are not stray cases of violence. These incidents occurring with shocking regularity point to a deep systemic failure of governance. It shows that criminals have become emboldened under the present government and are not worried about being punished. It shows how Odisha is becoming highly unsafe for women due to government inaction and political patronage," he said. "Will the Odisha Govt wake up from this deep slumber and take speedy action so that the criminals are arrested? And more importantly will the government respond so that such incidents are not repeated? The girls and women of Odisha await a response," Mr Patnaik added.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
HM Amit Shah directs formation of Central team on Himachal natural disasters
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah directed the formation of a multi-sectoral Central team given the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, an official said on Sunday. In a recent meeting, HM Shah was briefed about the increase in the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and torrential rainfall, causing widespread loss of life, damage to infrastructure, livelihoods and environmental degradation. He immediately ordered the constitution of a multi-sectoral Central Team comprising experts from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, a Geologist, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, the official said. In the wake of floods, flash floods, and landslides during monsoon 2025 in different parts of Himachal Pradesh, the Central government has already deputed an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) in advance, without waiting for their memorandum, for on-the-spot first-hand assessment of the damages, said an official statement. The IMCT is visiting the affected areas of the state from July 18-21, and as many as 13 teams of NDRF are deployed in the State for rescue and relief operations. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Government stands firmly with the states in times of disasters without any discrimination, said the statement. In this direction, a high-level committee chaired by HM Shah has already approved an outlay of Rs 2006.40 crore to Himachal Pradesh for recovery and reconstruction in areas affected by disasters like floods, landslides and cloudbursts for 2023, and has also released the first instalment of Rs 451.44 crore on July 7, it said. To support the affected people, the Central government has already released the first instalment of the Central share of Rs 198.80 crore to Himachal Pradesh from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) on June 18. The Central government has also provided all logistical assistance to all states, including Himachal Pradesh, including deployment of requisite National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams, Army teams and Air Force support.
