ED alleges DVAC stole sensitive documents from its Madurai office; petitions Tamil Nadu DGP

ED petitions TN DGP over illegal search by DVAC: Accuses team of barging into Madurai Zonal Office, stealing sensitive case documents. Seeks FIR against DVAC for criminal intimidation, trespass, stealing docs & taking copies on electronic media.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 3 petitioned Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal, accusing the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) of conducting an “illegal search operation” by barging into its Madurai Zonal Office on December 1, 2023, and “stealing sensitive case documents”.

The searches were carried out following the arrest of Enforcement Officer Ankit Tiwari on charges of demanding and accepting bribe from a government doctor, who is facing a disproportionate assets case.

The Central agency sought registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against the DVAC team on charges of conducting the illegal search, allowing unauthorised persons into the ED’s offices, and taking away confidential records pertaining to ongoing investigations into several sensitive cases.

In the complaint, Brijesh Beniwal, Assistant Director, Madurai Sub-Zonal Office of the ED, said that on the day of the searches, two persons came to the ED’s office claiming to be officers of the Intelligence Bureau. When asked to show their identity cards, the duo went away. Later, about 35 persons, including many in civil dress claiming to be officials from the DVAC, forcefully entered the office. They refused to show their identity cards and “had no search warrant”.

In the garb of a search, the complainant alleged, the 35 persons entered the room of Mr. Tiwari, and opened case files that were not relevant to the case for which they claimed to have come. They accessed sensitive case records, information and internal documents of the ED related to other cases.

The search team locked the door of Mr. Tiwari’s cabin intermittently, thereby having access to records in private. They were continuously speaking with various persons, giving information about various records, and taking instructions, it has been alleged.