Chennai (Tamil Nadu) — The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Chennai police has frozen 29 bank accounts belonging to former DMK MLA Muthukumar as its investigation widens in the alleged Rs 100-crore bribery case involving private schools, according to reports on Thursday, November 12.

Source: BizzBuzz News

Police have reported Rs 4.5 crore in accounts associated with Muthukumar, who also serves as the state treasurer of a private schools' association. Investigators have additionally frozen 20 bank accounts linked to another accused, Arasakumar, reportedly containing a total of Rs 4 lakh, the reports said.

Source: hi INDiA (IANS)

A follow-up to the October arrests

The account freeze is the latest step in a case that has already seen former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh arrested and lodged in Puzhal Central Prison. Muthukumar, who police said had been evading arrest, surrendered before a special court in Chennai on October 28 and was remanded to judicial custody until November 12.

The CCB has registered a case against Anbil Mahesh, Arasakumar and Muthukumar and is examining their alleged involvement in collecting money from private educational institutions, reportedly in return for recognition or approval. The financial scrutiny is aimed at tracing the movement of funds and whether the transactions are connected to the alleged offence.

The reported amounts in individual accounts are not, by themselves, proof of the alleged offence. The allegations against all the accused remain under investigation and have not been established in court.