ED raids Tamil Nadu electricity minister V Senthil Balaji’s residence

In connection with a money laundering probe, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched V Senthil Balaji, the minister of the Tamil Nadu Electricity department, and a few other people on Tuesday.

Raids are being conducted at Balaji’s locations in Chennai and Karur.

Balaji, who also oversees the Prohibition and Excise portfolios, was the subject of an alleged cash-for-jobs scandal, which the Supreme Court had permitted police and ED to investigate last month.

Senthil Balaji served as the AIADMK government’s transport minister from 2011 to 2015 under the late J Jayalalithaa. In charges made against him, it was claimed that he had accepted sizable sums in bribes from numerous people in exchange for hiring them as drivers and conductors in the transport businesses.