The founder of Tamil Nadu-based Vasan Eye Care has passed away at the age of 51 on Monday. According to sources, Arun was declared dead on arrival by the doctors at Chennai’s Kauvery Hospitals on Monday morning, the cause of his death being unclear.

Arun rose from humble beginnings in Tamil Nadu’s Trichy, where he took his first step in the healthcare industry by acquiring a 60-year-old medical shop in 1999. He then set up the first eye care hospital in Trichy in 2002, which has since grown into a large network of over 100 hospitals providing treatment for the eyes across the country. The group has over 600 ophthalmologists and over 6,000 staff members working in its centers.

The healthcare group was caught in a web of controversial money dealings allegedly involving politicians like P Chidarambam and his son Karti in 2015. The department of Income Tax had also conducted searches in Arun’s residence in Chennai and Vasan Healthcare’s offices in Mylapore in 2015. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also conducted investigations into the financial dealings of the group.