Raids not issued on my name: VCK leader refuses involvement in money laundering

After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) deputy general secretary Aadhav Arjuna said that the search orders issued were not in his name.
The ED seized Rs 8.8 crore in cash during raids linked to Chennai-based “lottery king” Santiago Martin. The raids, part of a money laundering probe, targeted over 20 locations across Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, and West Bengal.
The ED searches, launched on Thursday, included properties linked to Arjuna, who is Martin’s son-in-law. “I have never been involved in unlawful activities and left my business roles when I entered politics,” Arjuna said.
ED officials said the cash, mostly in Rs 500 notes, was seized from Martin’s corporate office.
Martin, known for donating Rs 1,300 crore to political parties via now-defunct electoral bonds, has faced ongoing investigations after the Madras High Court recently allowed ED action in a closed Tamil Nadu Police case.
The raids targeted Martin’s business empire and associates. ED officials described the operation as a “comprehensive action” against alleged money laundering activities.
Martin recently made news after it came to light through Election Commission data that his company (Future Gaming) was the largest purchaser of now-scrapped electoral bonds worth more than Rs 1,300 crore, between 2019 and 2024, meant for donations to political parties.
The Madras High Court last month allowed the ED case against Martin and his linked people to go on as it set aside a lower court order which had accepted a closure report filed by the Chennai Police crime branch in a case related to the seizure of “unaccounted” Rs 7.2 crore from his Chennai home.