Former Tamil Nadu minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi arrested in Rs 100-crore school approval scam
The Chennai police arrested former education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi hours after the Madras High Court rejected his anticipatory bail application in an alleged bribery racket.
Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested by the Chennai Police Central Crime Branch on Monday, 26 October 2026, following the dismissal of his anticipatory bail petition by the Madras High Court. Police officers took him into custody from his apartment in Aminjikarai, Chennai, in connection with an alleged Rs 100-crore extortion and bribery racket involving administrative approvals for private schools.
What the investigation uncovered
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) registered the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act following a formal complaint by C. Elangovan, secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu. The complaint detailed how funds were collected from over 1,000 private school managements across the state.
School administrators were promised permanent government recognition, school upgradation approvals, building clearances, and statutory permissions from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning. The money was collected under the guise of contributions to political funds while Poyyamozhi held the school education portfolio between 2021 and 2026.
| Person | Role in alleged racket | Current status |
|---|---|---|
| Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi | Former School Education Minister | Arrested by Chennai Police CCB |
| B.T. Arasakumar | Founder, unregistered Private Schools Association | Arrested in June, currently on bail |
| Muthukumar | Treasurer, unregistered association and former MLA | Absconding |
High Court proceedings and enforcement actions
During the bail hearing on Monday, Justice V. Lakshminarayanan rejected Poyyamozhi's plea for protection from arrest. State Public Prosecutor R. John Sathyan argued before the court that custodial interrogation of the former minister was essential to establish the full extent of the scam and locate absconding suspects.
The arrest follows investigative work by state authorities aimed at tackling corruption in public administration. On 16 September, CCB teams conducted searches across nine locations in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, seizing property deeds, bank account details, and 18 mobile devices. A second round of raids on 29 September yielded 44 additional financial documents and computers.
Parallel financial tracing is also underway by the Enforcement Directorate, which registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on 1 October to map the transaction trail of the collected funds.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alleged scam value | Rs 100 crore | Chennai Police Central Crime Branch |
| Number of schools targeted | Over 1,000 | Central Crime Branch complaint |
| Items seized during searches | 118 items including 18 mobile phones and property deeds | Chennai Police Central Crime Branch |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Chennai Police Central Crime Branch | Investigating agency that executed the arrest |
| Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi | Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister arrested in school approval scam |
