The Enforcement Directorate has launched a PMLA probe into a Rs 100-crore alleged scam tied to private school approvals in Tamil Nadu, naming former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in the process. The case, based on an FIR from Chennai’s Central Crime Branch, centres on BT Arasakumar — self-styled head of the unregistered Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association, who reportedly collected funds from 177 schools under false promises of securing government clearances. No approvals were delivered. Money wasn’t returned. Now, the ED is tracing the trail through 20 accounts linked to Arasakumar and 29 more tied to Muthukumar, one of his associates. Police searches have already hit nine locations in Chennai and Trichy, including Poyyamozhi’s residence in Thennur, where they seized documents, cheques, and electronic devices. Arasakumar was arrested in June, detained under the Goondas Act, but granted default bail in September after the CCB failed to file its final report within 90 days. A procedural win, not a verdict on guilt. The CCB has since expanded the probe to include allegations of bribery and abetment under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. And now, with the ED stepping in, the financial web grows deeper. What happens next? The agency will decide whether to file charges or seek further investigation. One thing’s certain: the state’s education corridors just got a lot louder.