The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has once again turned the spotlight on Sasikala, the long-time aide of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, by launching fresh raids in connection with a ₹200 crore bank fraud. On Thursday, ED officials carried out searches across at least ten locations in Chennai and Hyderabad as part of a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

At the center of this probe is GRK Reddy of the Marg Group, who is alleged to be a benami front for Sasikala. The Income Tax Department had previously alleged that Reddy was acting as a benamidar for certain properties linked to the Marg group. The fraud itself involves a ₹200 crore loan taken from Canara Bank, which is believed to have been misused. The CBI’s FIR had already opened the gates for deeper financial scrutiny, and now with ED’s raids, the case appears to be gaining momentum.

While Sasikala is not officially named in the case yet, the timing and scale of the ED’s action suggest that investigators are closing in on key leads. Given Sasikala’s past conviction in a disproportionate assets case and her controversial political legacy, this development is likely to stir the political waters in Tamil Nadu once again.

As more details emerge, the case could either reveal a complex financial web of corruption or turn into another high-profile probe that raises more questions than answers. Either way, the ED’s latest move has ensured that Sasikala’s name is once again in the headlines.