Former DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi Arrested in Alleged ₹100-Crore Private Schools Scam

Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister and senior DMK leader Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested in Chennai on Monday, hours after the Madras High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in an alleged multi-crore fraud involving money collected from private schools in exchange for government approvals.

Justice V. Lakshminarayanan dismissed the petition after the Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) told the court that investigators had gathered sufficient evidence indicating Poyyamozhi’s alleged involvement in the case and that custodial interrogation was necessary.

Poyyamozhi, a close associate of Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and a prominent second-generation leader in the DMK, has been named as the fifth accused in the case.

According to the CCB, an unregistered association headed by BT Arasakumar allegedly collected money from private school managements by promising permanent recognition, school upgrades and building approvals during Poyyamozhi’s tenure as education minister from 2021 to 2026.

Investigators told the court that more than 177 school managements had come forward in connection with the alleged scheme. They also said they had traced transactions amounting to ₹17.26 crore so far.

The police further alleged that Poyyamozhi helped establish the association in 2024 through his personal assistant and publicly introduced its organisers at an event in Chennai in December that year.

According to the prosecution, money collected from school managements was allegedly handed over to the minister under the description of a “party fund”. Investigators also claimed that Poyyamozhi had reassured relatives of an absconding accused about the individual’s safety, an allegation cited to support the demand for custodial interrogation.

The allegations are under investigation, and the claims against Poyyamozhi have not been established in court.