ED arrests Senthil Balaji's brother in Kochi over money laundering case

The ED brought Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji before Principal Sessions Judge S Alli's court on Saturday, August 12, the same day that the central agency submitted the chargesheet in the case. Balaji has been detained in Chennai's Puzhal Central Jail since the court ordered him to be held in judicial custody until August 25.

Kochi: In connection with a money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) detained RV Ashok, the brother of Senthil Balaji, a minister in Tamil Nadu in Kochi. According to reports, the Minister's brother missed multiple summonses from the central investigating agency, which led to his custody. After numerous raids and a thorough investigation into the assets obtained by DMK minister Senthil Balaji and his family, the ED on August 10 had frozen a property belonging to Ashok Balaji's wife Nirmala.

This development comes a day after Senthil Balaji, was charged by the ED. A 3000-page chargesheet against the DMK MLA in a money laundering case was filed by the central investigation agency.

Additionally, it is unclear if Ashok was hiding in Kochi. The fact that no one was reserved under the name of Ashok Kumar on today's flights between Kochi and Chennai has further raised questions. According to reports, Ashok would appear before the judge of the Chennai Principal Sessions Court tomorrow.  The ED had previously asserted that Balaji "organised" a job racket scheme in the state transport undertakings during 2014–2015 and "misused" his office for illegal gratification. 

According to reports, the candidates paid kickbacks via Balaji's close associates, including his brother R V Ashok Kumar and his personal assistants B Shanmugam and M Karthikeyan. The ED claimed that as a result, positions were filled at the cost of deserving applicants.