A major ₹22 crore cyber fraud has come to light in Tamil Nadu’s Rural Development Department, sparking sharp political debate just six months into Chief Minister Vijay’s tenure. According to a report by Ulta Chasma UC, the department filed a formal complaint on November 3 after discovering that huge sums of public welfare money had been siphoned from government bank accounts across three districts during the third week of September.
District-Wise Breakdown of the Missing Funds
The stolen money was meant for essential village infrastructure, including rural roads, drinking water supply, drainage systems, and contractor payments. Investigators traced the unauthorized withdrawals to three local panchayat union accounts:
- Ramanathapuram District: Around ₹14 crore was drained from the Mandapam Panchayat Union account.
- Tiruppur District: Roughly ₹5 crore was stolen from the Dharapuram Panchayat Union bank account.
- Nagapattinam District: Nearly ₹3 crore was fraudulently transferred from a local panchayat union account.
Chennai Crime Branch Launches Investigation
The case has been handed over to the Chennai Crime Branch, with investigators suspecting the involvement of an international cybercrime syndicate. Normally, authorized officials and panchayat staff log into an online portal using secure user IDs and passwords to process bank-to-bank transfers. Cyber sleuths are now examining how hackers breached the payment gateway and why automated banking alerts failed to flag multi-crore withdrawals for weeks.
BJP Targets CM Vijay Over Governance and Security Lapses
The revelation has triggered a political storm, especially since CM Vijay campaigned heavily on ending corruption and earned early public praise for his people-friendly initiatives. BJP leader Vinoj P. Selvam questioned the state government on social media platform X, asking how cybercriminals penetrated official payment systems without triggering security alarms.
Taking a dig at Vijay’s background, Selvam remarked that managing a state requires strong institutional oversight rather than running fan clubs or trending social media hashtags. He demanded a transparent explanation and strict accountability to safeguard funds meant for rural citizens.
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