Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, a senior Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader and former Tamil Nadu school education minister, was arrested by the Central Crime Branch police on Monday in connection with an alleged ₹100 crore fraud involving approvals and recognition for private schools PTI reported.
The arrest came after the dismissed his anticipatory bail petition in the case. Poyyamozhi is accused of collecting money from more than 1,000 private school managements in the guise of party funds in exchange for permanent recognition and other administrative clearances during his tenure as school education minister from 2021 to 2026.
The allegations are being investigated under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to investigate the suspected financial transactions linked to the alleged scam.
Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi is a leader from Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, and a close associate of DMK youth wing secretary . He served as the state’s school education minister after the DMK formed the government in 2021, according to a TOI report.
Poyyamozhi comes from a political family with a long association with the DMK. He is the grandson of former DMK minister Anbil P Dharmalingam, while his father, Anbil Poyyamozhi, was a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.
Poyyamozhi was first elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2016 from the Thiruverumbur constituency. He contested the seat again in 2021 and defeated AIADMK candidate P Kumar by a margin of around 49,000 votes, according to TOI.
His appointment as school education minister in 2021 marked the first time an MLA from the Thiruverumbur constituency had been made a minister.
The case concerns allegations that money was collected from private school managements on the promise of securing government approvals, permanent recognition and other regulatory clearances.
According to reports, the allegations involved collections from more than 1,000 private school managements under the label of party funds. Investigators have also examined whether money was collected in exchange for approvals and recognition required by educational institutions.
The case originated from a complaint by a representative of a private schools’ association. The FIR includes provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, while the ED has initiated a separate probe under the PMLA to trace the suspected financial trail.
The ED had also conducted searches at locations linked to Poyyamozhi in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli in September and recovered digital evidence, according to a Hindustan Times report.
Poyyamozhi has challenged the case against him and has separately approached the court seeking to quash the FIR. The allegations remain subject to investigation and have not been established as guilt by a court.
