ED interrogates Tamil Nadu minister's brother in ₹22 crore loan fraud probe

ED officials took K.N. Ravichandran, brother of Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru, to its Chennai office for questioning on Tuesday, continuing searches that began on Monday across Chennai, Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore. The questioning relates to an alleged ₹22 crore bank‑loan fraud tied to the TVH Group, a real‑estate firm promoted by Ravichandran. The Central Bureau of Investigation had filed an FIR on the case in 2021. Searches also covered the minister’s residence in Thillai Nagar, Tiruchirappalli, and the home of his son, Lok Sabha MP Arun Nehru. Investigators say loan funds may have been routed to a trust controlled by the family, and other financial transactions and complaints against TVH are under scrutiny. Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Regupathy condemned the raids, accusing the BJP‑led Centre of using the Enforcement Directorate as a political ally, likening it to the parties of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar. He called the agency a “non‑political partner” of the BJP. The probe underscores ongoing concerns over alleged financial misconduct involving political families and real‑estate ventures in the state. ## Context The Enforcement Directorate probes money‑laundering and loan‑fraud cases under the Prevention of Money‑Laundering Act, while the CBI’s FIR indicates a long‑standing investigation that has now escalated with high‑profile raids.