CBI books three including a bank officer, DMK functionary in Vellore over 2019 cash for votes case

VELLORE: The sleuths of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at multiple premises in Vellore following registration of an FIR against three persons including a senior bank officer and a DMK local functionary who is very close to DMK general secretary Durai Murugan and his son and MP DM Kathir Anand, informed sources said.

“The CBI team, led by an officer in the rank of Inspector, visited the residence of ‘Poonjolai’ Srinivasan located at Pallikuppam in Katpadi, held a search and questioned him regarding the cash for vote case,” said a source.

Similar searches were held in the premises of Damodaran, brother-in-law of Srinivasan and Dayanidhi, senior manager of Canara Bank.

Srinivasan is the farmers’ wing convenor of DMK in Vellore district. Certain documents were seized from his house during the search, the sources noted.

The CBI raids have come close on the heels of the Central agency registering an FIR on Tuesday against the three for alleged criminal conspiracy, falsification of documents and criminal misconduct.

Following the trails of cash for votes unearthed by the Income Tax (IT) department in March-April, 2019 before the run up to the general elections to the Lok Sabha in Vellore constituency when it held raids at the residence of Durai Murugan and confiscating Rs. 11.48 crore from the house of Damodaran, the CBI has registered the FIR now.

The CBI has filed the FIR about 16 months after IT men seized the cash.

The IT department had, then, charged that the cash was meant for distribution to voters. The local police in Katpadi registered a case regarding the cash seizures.

Subsequently, Election Commission of India (ECI) cancelled the polls citing the ‘vitiated situation’.

However, when the polls was held, in August, later in the year, Kathir Anand scampered to post a win with a narrow margin of 8,141 votes.

The CBI’s FIR mentions Dayanidhi as accused number one, Srinivasan as accused two and Damodaran as accused three.

They were slapped with sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy), r/w 420 (cheating) and 477 A (falsification of accounts) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 7 (c) of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Dayanidhi, then senior manager, in the regional office of Canara Bank in Vellore, was accused of arranging for exchange of Rs. 500 and Rs. 2000 denomination notes into newly printed currencies of Rs. 200 denominations meant for distribution to voters.

“The exchange was facilitated by Dayanidhi by dishonestly performing/inducing another public servant to perform improperly for an undue advantage and falsification of accounts so as to aid and obtain newly printed currency,” the FIR said.

He is further charged for abusing official position and criminal misconduct for arranging for the newly printed currencies to Srinivasan and Damodaran.