The TN Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC) is said to have issued a questionnaire to two former top bureaucrats, Sheela Balakrishnan and K. N. Venkataramanan, and serving officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Apurva Varma on the multi-crore gutkha scam that rocked the state. The decision to send the questionnaire was taken following the receipt of replies of former Chief Secretary P. Rama Mohana and former Director General of Police Ashok Kumar. Both Rao and Ashok Kumar, in their replies to the DVAC, were said to have confirmed that they had informed the Chief Minister's Office on the matter. The questionnaire was sent to the three persons about a week ago as the retired IAS officers were part of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and Varma was Principal Secretary in-charge of the State Home department during the period in question. In August 2016, Principal Director of Income Tax (Investigation) B.R. Balakrishnan met the then Chief Secretary Rao and submitted a report on the scam in which a minister, two top police officers, and others were allegedly involved, following which Rao had presented a "detailed note" to the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. While Ms. Balakrishnan was Adviser, Mr. Venkataramanan, one of the Secretaries at the CMO, handled the subject of Home.