TN: ED Calls DVAC Search 'Illegal', Asks DGP To Register FIR Against Officials And Unknown Persons Who Entered Office After Ankit Tiwari's Arrest

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today (3 December) sent a complaint to the Director General of Police (DGP) asking him to register an FIR against unknown persons who entered the ED’s office in Madurai and officials of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) for permitting their entry and conducting an illegal search after the arrest of ED officer Ankit Tiwari.

Tiwari was arrested by the DVAC on 1 December, for accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from Dr Suresh Babu, who is the chief civil surgeon of the Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital.

The complaint sent by Brijesh Beniwal, an Assistant Director in the Madurai office, stated that around 1.15 PM on 1 December, two persons claiming to be IB officers came to the office but slipped away when asked to produce their identity cards.

Following that around 2.30 PM, around 35 people, including a number of them in civilian clothes, claiming to be policemen along with media and mob barged into the office, stated the complaint. It said that only M Sathyaseelan, a DSP with the DVAC gave his introduction.

These 35 persons stayed in the office till 7.15 AM of 2 December and refused to show any search authorisation, identity card or copy of FIR, it said.

Regarding the search done by them, the complaint alleged that they ransacked the office, opened files unrelated to Tiwari, accessed sensitive ED records, spoke to people regarding various records and took their instructions and accessed records in private by intermittently locking Tiwari’s room.

It then stated that the Panchanama mentioned that only four people and two witnesses were authorised for the search.

The complaint asked the DGP to register an FIR under the following grounds-

"a. For conducting illegal search and barging into the office of ED unauthorizedly against the DVAC officials and to allow many unauthorized persons to barge into the premises of ED; Criminal Tress-pass under Section 447 and criminal intimidation under Section 506 of IPC.

"b. For stealing various sensitive case records of ED; account of which is being taken; Section 378 of IPC, r/w Section 380

"c. For illegal access to various sensitive case records and taking copies in mobile / other electronic media which could jeopardize investigation; Section 353 of IPC.

"d. For barging of unauthorized persons in the office of ED. Section 447 and 506 of IPC"

Also Read: Arrested ED Officer Ankit Tiwari Intimidated Govt Official Through WhatsApp Calls And Text Messages; Demanded Rs 51 Lakh Bribe: DVAC Statement