M K Alagiri’s Son’s Firm Faces ED Crackdown For Illegal Granite Mining; Properties Worth Rs 40 Crore Attached

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (24 April 2019) attached properties worth Rs 40.34 crores of a firm in which the son of former DMK minister M K Alagiri, Alagiri Dayanidhi, is a partner, reports ANI. M K Alagiri was expelled from the party in 2014.

The company M/S Olympus Granite Pvt Ltd has been chargesheeted for allegedly flouting many norms in violation of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

The scam involves encroachment of government land and illegal granite mining in Madurai. The company is one of the multiple granite companies that are accused of illegally mining granite from the mines owned by Tamil Nadu Minerals Limited (TAMIN) thereby causing loss of Rs 44 crore to the government.

ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA) attached 25 movable and immovable properties in and around Madurai after identifying them as part of the crime proceeds and being involved in money laundering.

It is a report by former Madurai District Collector U Sagayam that unearthed the scam; major violations by granite companies including Olympus in the district have caused a loss of Rs 16,000 crore to the exchequer.