CHENNAI: The Chennai city police on Saturday arrested two more men in connection with the alleged ₹35crore bribery attempt targeting TVK MLA N Ilaiyaraja, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 14. Police also seized ₹2.82 crore in unaccounted cash from the two men during the investigation.The latest to be arrested have been identified as Selvam Karunanidhi, 52, of Korattur and Saravanan, 45, of Saligramam. Police sources said both were engaged in the finance business.The case was registered after N Ilaiyaraja, the TVK MLA representing Uthangarai assembly constituency in Krishnagiri district, lodged a complaint with the Chennai police commissioner on June 29 alleging that a man identified as Thirunavukkarasu, who claimed to run a political survey firm named Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS), had approached him with an offer of ₹35 crore to influence him. The MLA further alleged that Thirunavukkarasu threatened him and his family after he rejected the offer.During the course of the investigation, police arrested many suspects, including political functionaries and persons believed to have links with the alleged conspiracy. Investigators said some of those arrested were associated with the DMK and the AIADMK and were close associates of former minister and DMK MLA V Senthilbalaji and his brother Ashok Kumar. Senthilbalaji and Ashok Kumar were granted conditional anticipatory bail by the Madras High Court last week in connection with the case.
