The Enforcement Directorate has expanded its investigation into the alleged manipulation of the 2017 Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) examination for Polytechnic lecturers. Searches were conducted at 21 locations across Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchy, and Coimbatore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The searches are linked to the tampering of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) answer sheets in a major recruitment scandal in Tamil Nadu.
The money laundering probe originated from a Tamil Nadu Police FIR filed in 2017 following complaints of widespread manipulation of examination records. Investigators discovered that scanned OMR answer sheets were digitally altered post-examination, leading to inflated scores for specific candidates. Allegations suggest that an additional set of 385 secondary OMR sheets with the same candidates’ names was created to facilitate the fraud.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, 262 ineligible candidates were falsely shown as qualified for the position of Polytechnic lecturers before public complaints exposed the irregularities. This resulted in the cancellation of results and a fresh evaluation. The ED alleges that the conspiracy was orchestrated by V. Subramanian and his associate Suresh Paul, with technical support from M/s Datatec.
During the recent searches, officials seized records detailing cash collections by agents, carbon copies of OMR sheets from various government recruitment exams, educational certificates of candidates, and digital storage devices with potential evidence. Additionally, cash amounting to Rs.13.18 lakh was recovered, 56 bank accounts and two Demat accounts were frozen, and documents related to 36 immovable properties were seized.
