A major financial fraud involving public funds has triggered an investigation in Tamil Nadu, with police suspecting that an international cybercrime network linked to Nigeria may be involved.
The Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) has registered a case after ₹22.10 crore was allegedly diverted from bank accounts maintained by the Tamil Nadu Rural Development Department. Investigators are tracing the transactions and examining whether local bank handlers or compromised credentials were used to carry out the unauthorised transfers.
Preliminary findings indicate that ₹14 crore was taken from Mandapam Panchayat Union in Ramanathapuram district, ₹3.10 crore from Nagapattinam Panchayat Union and ₹5 crore from Dharapuram Panchayat Union in Tiruppur district.
Police suspect that criminals gained unauthorised access to the online financial transaction portal and routed the funds into other bank accounts. The investigation is also examining possible involvement of individuals who helped execute the transfers.
BJP leader questions government oversight
The incident has triggered political criticism, with BJP leader Vinoj P Selvam questioning the administrative oversight and preparedness of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay-led TVK government.
He said: “These are funds meant for rural development, essential services and public welfare. Money entrusted to the government for the benefit of ordinary citizens. How did cybercriminals allegedly penetrate government payment systems? How were transactions worth crores executed? Where were the security checks, financial controls and monitoring mechanisms?”
Criticising the ruling party, Selvam added: “Every political party in the world has an IT wing. But Tamil Nadu seems to have witnessed something extraordinary. For the first time, an actor’s fan club and its social media army have gone from trending hashtags to running a state government! Unfortunately, managing hashtags and managing a state are two very different things.”
He called for transparent answers, stronger institutions and effective safeguards to protect public funds.
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