TV journalist questioned by police in case involving alleged attempt to bribe TVK MLA

The Triplicane Police in Chennai questioned the senior editor of a TV channel, Puthiya Thalaimurai, and seized his mobile phone for cyber forensics in connection with claims by Elayaraja, the ruling TVK MLA from Uthangarai, that he was offered ₹35 crore to vote against the ruling party in the House.

Police said the journalist was being investigated for two days. According to an official report, the investigators found that he was allegedly in touch with the main accused during the alleged conspiracy.

In her complaint, the MLA alleged that Tirunavukkarasu, a YouTuber from Arumbakkam in Chennai who runs a polling agency called IPDS, along with several others, tried to influence him to vote in the legislature against the TVK stand. He claimed that they offered him a bribe of ₹35 million to vote as per their instructions and when he refused, they threatened him and his family with death.

Police said Tirunavukkarasu along with others entered into a criminal conspiracy called ‘Meghalaya Project’ to gain the support of around 15 TVK MLAs by offering large sums of money with the intention of destabilizing the government, police said.

“During examination of the documentary evidence in the case, the police found that Mr. Vijayan, Chief News Editor of Puthiya Thalaimurai Television, had been sending objectionable messages to the arrested accused Tirunavukkarasu and remained in continuous contact with him during the alleged conspiracy,” the report said.

As part of the investigation, Mr Vijayan was summoned and appeared before the police and was interviewed on 15 and 16 July. His statement was recorded. His mobile phone was also obtained for cyber forensic analysis to examine evidence related to the case. Police have instructed him to continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, city police said in a statement.

In a statement, the Chennai Press Club urged Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay to intervene and ensure that the journalist is not harassed by the police on the pretext of an investigation.

Published – 17 Jul 2026 0:12 IST