Chennai, Aug 14 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken into custody, V. Ashok Kumar, brother of arrested Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji.

The ED had served many notices to Ashok Kumar for appearing before officials for questioning. However, he had skipped the notices.

The ED, according to sources, took Ashok Kumar into custody from Kochi on Sunday, and then he was taken to Chennai. He will be produced before the Chennai Sessions court on Monday.

It is to be noted that the Enforcement Directorate had recently confiscated a 2. 5-acre property in Karur where a sprawling mansion was constructed in the name of the wife of Ashok Kumar, Nirmala.

The ED has also in its recent 3000-page charge sheet against Senthil Balaji mentioned that Ashok Kumar was one of the main links for all the financial dealings of the minister.

Sources informed IANS that the ED has taken Ashok Kumar into custody for questioning him along with Senthil Balaji to get to the bottom of the huge transactions conducted by the brothers.

Senthil Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14 on charges of taking money for providing jobs in the transport department while he was a minister in the previous AIADMK government. The ED has charged him under PMLA Act.