Tamil Nadu’s anti-corruption agency on Wednesday dramatically expanded its investigation into alleged corruption in the state-run liquor monopoly, carrying out coordinated searches at 41 locations. It cites alleged irregularities in bar tenders across Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Namakkal, the Nilgiris and Karur, and claims that officials colluded with bar operators instead of conducting fresh tenders where required. The FIR also alleges that transport tenders for 45 TASMAC depots were manipulated through the misuse of earnest money deposit demand drafts submitted by one applicant. The FIR alleges that licences were frequently controlled not by successful bidders but by third parties acting through organised syndicates. It alleges that a nexus between political executives, senior TASMAC officials, private individuals and commercial entities enabled the manipulation of decision-making processes and caused serious loss to the government exchequer.