DVAC Registers Case Against Durai Murugan and Others Over Alleged ₹1,427-Crore Sand Mining Irregularities

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has registered a case against senior DMK leader Durai Murugan and several others over alleged irregularities in river sand mining operations. According to officials, the operations caused an estimated loss of over ₹1,427 crore to the state exchequer.

Following the registration of the case, vigilance officials carried out simultaneous searches at 34 locations across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. During these operations, authorities seized 825 incriminating documents, 11 electronic devices, and three bank locker keys.

Official sources stated that the case was registered based on complaints from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Chennai, as well as from S Tamilselvan and Jayaram Venkatesan, convener of the anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam.

The first information report (FIR) names Durai Murugan, retired Engineers-in-Chief A Muthaiya and Ramamoorthi, 14 serving public servants of the Water Resources Department (WRD), 10 private individuals and firms, and several others.

The complaints outline allegations of widespread corruption and irregularities between 2021 and 2024 concerning river sand mining operations across 28 quarries in Tamil Nadu.

According to the DVAC, contracts during this period were awarded through limited tenders rather than open tenders. Furthermore, investigators found that sand was quarried far beyond the approved mining plan. The agency also noted that fake vouchers were fabricated and passed off as genuine permit slips to facilitate the illegal transport of sand.

A preliminary probe focusing on just four of the 28 quarries revealed a wrongful revenue loss amounting to ₹1,427,34,23,059 to the government.

The simultaneous searches conducted by the DVAC spanned multiple regions, including Chennai, Pudukkottai, Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Vellore, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Coimbatore, Salem, Namakkal, and neighboring Puducherry.

Officials confirmed that further investigation into the matter is currently underway.

"This case highlights the critical importance of regulatory compliance, transparent tendering processes, and strict adherence to operational guidelines in public sector projects. For businesses and enterprises operating in regulated sectors, governance and accountability are paramount to mitigate legal and financial risks." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes