Three men, including a Chennai-based YouTuber, have been arrested for allegedly attempting to lure TVK MLA Ilaiyaraja into acting against his party during a proposed Assembly vote, police said. Investigators cited an audio recording that they claim captures both the monetary offer and subsequent threats.
According to the complaint filed by Ilaiyaraja, the Uthangarai MLA, he received repeated calls while staying at the MLAs’ hostel in Triplicane. The caller, identified as Thirunavukkarasu, reportedly introduced himself as running a YouTube channel and an opinion survey firm, and sought a meeting on the request of “some people from a major party.”
Ilaiyaraja alleged that during one of the calls, he was told a no-confidence motion against the Speaker would be brought in the Assembly and that he should act as instructed during voting, in return for Rs 35 crore. He said he refused, after which the caller allegedly continued contacting him and later spoke in a threatening tone, warning of consequences for him and his family if the conversation was disclosed.
Triplicane police said they obtained and examined an audio recording linked to the complaint and found the allegations of bargaining and intimidation to be substantiated. The arrested accused were identified as Thirunavukkarasu (45) of Arumbakkam in Chennai, Naresh (40) from Tiruchirappalli, and Thiyagarajan (40) of Medavakkam in Chennai.
Police further alleged that the plan was instigated by former DMK minister and Coimbatore South MLA Senthil Balaji and his brother Ashok Kumar, based on statements recorded from the arrested men. The three were produced before a Chennai sessions court, which remanded them to judicial custody until July 15, police said.
