Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) was reported to have opened a preliminary inquiry on 5 October 2026 into alleged illegal river-sand mining during the previous DMK government. The News Minute said notices had been sent to contractors, officials and others. Its report does not say that DVAC registered an FIR, and the allegations have not been established as guilt.
What is the DVAC investigating?
The reported inquiry concerns allegations of illegal mining at river-sand quarry sites in Tamil Nadu. The News Minute reported that DVAC began a preliminary inquiry on 5 October 2026 to assess whether a prima facie offence existed before deciding whether to register a formal case. It said the agency sent notices to contractors, government officials and others.
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A preliminary inquiry is not the same procedural step as an FIR or a finding of wrongdoing. The report establishes that an inquiry and notices were reported; it does not establish that DVAC registered an FIR or that any person or organisation was found guilty. The News Minute’s report is the source for the 2026 development.
Where does the ₹4,700-crore figure come from?
The amount is an Enforcement Directorate (ED) estimate reported by The News Minute, not a court-determined loss or a proven amount of proceeds of crime. The outlet reported ED’s allegation that sand mining exceeded permitted boundaries and depth at 28 river-sand quarry sites. It gave the permitted area as 196.37 hectares and the measured activity as 987.10 hectares, and described the alleged sand value as about ₹4,700 crore. These figures should be understood as agency allegations reported by the outlet, not independently established findings.
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Coverage has used different rounded totals: The News Minute said about ₹4,700 crore, while a Tamil Daily Thanthi search result reported ₹4,730 crore. The available material does not establish which formulation is definitive, so the rounded, attributed figure is the more careful description.
How ED reportedly assessed mining activity
The News Minute said ED’s technical assessment used drone and LiDAR surveys, bathymetric surveys, satellite-image processing and imagery from ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre. It reported that Terraqua UAV Solutions, described as incubated at IIT Kanpur, conducted a technical assessment. The underlying survey report is not available in the reviewed material, so the methods and measurements remain reported agency findings rather than independently verified measurements.
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What happened before DVAC’s inquiry?
| Date | Reported development | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| 12 September 2023 | ED searched 34 locations, including eight sand-mining yards, across six Tamil Nadu districts. | These search details come from ED’s official release dated 15 September 2023. |
| 15 September 2023 | ED said it found documents and materials it described as evidence of suspected illegal sales, including purported fake receipts. It reported freezing ₹12.82 crore, seizing ₹2.33 crore in unaccounted cash and seizing 1,024.6 grams of gold. | These are ED’s stated search results. They do not independently substantiate the later estimate of about ₹4,700 crore. |
| June and July 2024 | The News Minute reported that ED wrote to Tamil Nadu’s Director General of Police seeking registration of an FIR and an investigation, then sent a reminder in July. | This describes ED’s reported request; it does not establish that an FIR was registered. |
| July 2024 | The News Minute reported that the Madras High Court ordered ED not to take further action, and that the Supreme Court upheld the ruling and quashed the probe. | The report describes court action concerning ED’s earlier probe. The court orders themselves are needed to assess their precise legal effect. |
| 5 October 2026 | DVAC was reported to have opened a preliminary inquiry and issued notices. | The report does not say DVAC registered an FIR. |
ED’s 15 September 2023 press release says, “Further investigation is under progress.” That sentence referred to the investigation described in the 2023 release; it does not establish the status of DVAC’s separate 2026 inquiry.
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The available reporting does not explain the legal basis for DVAC’s 2026 inquiry or how it relates to the 2024 court action concerning ED’s probe. The reported court orders should not be described as reversed, and the reporting does not establish that they automatically bar a separately reported DVAC inquiry. Without the orders and an official DVAC or government statement explaining the inquiry, the relationship remains unresolved.
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What is established—and what is not?
- Reported: DVAC began a preliminary inquiry on 5 October 2026 and issued notices, according to The News Minute.
- Not established by that report: that DVAC registered an FIR, that any person is guilty, or that a court determined a loss of about ₹4,700 crore.
- Attributed to ED: the alleged activity across 28 sites, the area comparison and the approximate value estimate, as reported by The News Minute.
- Documented by ED in 2023: searches and the stated seizure figures in its official release; these do not prove the later estimate.
- Unresolved in the available reporting: the legal basis for the DVAC inquiry and its relationship to the reported 2024 court orders.
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