CHENNAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at around 18 locations across Chennai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Madurai in connection with the alleged Teacher Recruitment Board (TRB) examination manipulation case.

Sources said multiple ED teams carried out simultaneous raids under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency's action stems from a predicate offence registered by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Greater Chennai Police in 2017. While the police filed a chargesheet in 2021, the ED has now taken up the case to trace the proceeds of crime and examine the financial trail linked to the alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

The case pertains to the recruitment of lecturers for government polytechnic colleges. The TRB had conducted a written examination on September 16, 2017, to fill 1,058 lecturer posts, for which around 1.33 lakh candidates had appeared.

The alleged scam came to light after the board cross-verified the marks of shortlisted candidates with their original answer scripts and found that nearly 200 candidates had allegedly been awarded inflated scores, with marks increased by 50 to 100 in some cases.

Investigators suspect that beneficiaries paid touts between ₹25 lakh and ₹30 lakh to clear the written examination stage. The ED is examining the money trail and the role of those allegedly involved in the recruitment irregularities.