The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has flagged a major cash-for-job scam in recruitment for 2,538 posts within the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) department in Tamil Nadu during the recruitment process
for the years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. The ED claims bribes ranging from Rs 25-35 lakh were paid for each job post, collected by powerful politicians and individuals close to them to rig recruitment and selection processes. Actor Vijay’s team, citing The New Indian Express, posted on X: “According to the report, bribes between ₹25-35 lakhs per post were allegedly collected by powerful politicians to favour at least 150 candidates out of 2,538 appointments. All of which were handed over by CM M.K. Stalin on August 6. The ED has written to Tamil Nadu Police under PMLA Sec. 66(2), attaching a 232-page dossier with names, modus operandi and money trail. Probe also sought against Anna University officials who conducted the exams.” The appointment orders were allegedly handed over to selected candidates after the exam process was manipulated in favour of those who paid bribes.
🚨 BREAKING: ED has flagged a massive cash for jobs scam in Tamil Nadu’s Municipal Administration & Water Supply Department.
According to the report, bribes between ₹25–35 lakhs per post were allegedly collected by powerful politicians to favour at least 150 candidates out of… pic.twitter.com/gXAlhhae3m
— Actor Vijay Team (@ActorVijayTeam) October 29, 2025
The scam allegedly involved rigging and corruption in the recruitment for positions such as assistant engineers, junior engineers, and sanitary inspectors conducted in August 2025.
Evidence shows bribes were sent via middlemen and routed to kingpins through hawala agents, indicating an organised money laundering trail.
The ED has provided a 232-page dossier to TN police, detailing names of those suspected — including politicians — and seeking a First Information Report (FIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Confidential information about the selection process was accessed by private individuals involved in the scam, raising serious questions on the integrity of government exams.
The corruption deprived thousands of deserving candidates of getting government jobs, according to ED’s findings.
The ED also found links to an earlier bank fraud case involving connected politicians and real estate firms in the state, further deepening the investigation scope.
