ED Flags ‘Cash-for-Jobs’ Scam in Tamil Nadu MAWS Recruitment; Bribes Up to ₹35 Lakh Alleged

October 29, 2025

Chennai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has written to the Tamil Nadu Police alleging a large-scale cash-for-jobs racket in the recruitment to 2,538 posts in the state’s Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department, claiming that bribes of ₹25–35 lakh per post were collected from candidates.

In a formal communication sent to the Head of Police Force (HoPF) under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED alleged that the recruitment process for assistant engineers, town planning officers, junior engineers, and sanitary inspectors was manipulated in mid-2024.

According to the agency, “influential politicians and their associates” allegedly rigged the selection process to favour around 150 candidates.

Money Trail Linked to Minister’s Brother’s Firm

Officials said the findings emerged during a money-laundering probe into a bank fraud case involving a real estate firm tied to MAWS Minister K.N. Nehru’s brother, N. Ravichandran.

The ED reportedly found financial transactions and digital communications suggesting that funds were diverted to facilitate the recruitment scam.

The agency has shared a 232-page dossier with the state police, detailing the alleged modus operandi, names of suspected intermediaries, and the money trail connecting candidates, middlemen, and officials.

ED Seeks Full State Probe

The ED has requested the Tamil Nadu Police to launch a comprehensive investigation against those named, including certain Anna University officials, which conducted the recruitment examinations.

When contacted, MAWS Secretary D. Karthikeyan said he was unaware of the ED’s report.

“The recruitment was conducted transparently, and to my knowledge, there were no irregularities,” he stated.

The recruitment drive had attracted over 1.12 lakh applicants competing for 2,538 posts, touted as one of the state’s largest hiring exercises of 2024.

The ED’s revelations have now cast a shadow over the process and triggered a fresh political controversy in Tamil Nadu.