Tamil Nadu Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), late on Friday, December 1, released a statement confirming that officials of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Madurai and Chennai are being probed in a bribery case under investigation. The statement came after the arrest of Ankit Tiwari, an ED official posted in Madurai, on bribery charges. His residence was searched and cash worth Rs 20 lakh was also seized from him.
According to the press release, Ankit Tiwari, on October 29, had allegedly contacted a government employee from Dindigul regarding a closed DVAC case registered against the said person. He also allegedly told the employee that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had asked the ED to investigate the matter. He asked the employee to appear before the ED office in Madurai on October 30 for an investigation.
However, when the person went to Madurai, Ankit allegedly got into his car and demanded he pay Rs 3 crore as a bribe to close the case. Later, after claiming to have spoken to his senior officials, Ankit purportedly said that the final bribe amount was fixed at Rs 51 lakh.
On November 1, the government employee supposedly gave Ankit the first installment of Rs 20 lakhs, after which the latter demanded him to pay the full amount as it had to be allegedly shared among higher officials. He also allegedly threatened him with severe action, through WhatsApp and text messages.
After growing suspicious of Ankit’s activities, the employee filed a complaint with the Dindigul unit of the DVAC on November 30, whose initial investigation revealed that Ankit was an ED officer and he misused his powers. A case was registered against him and the next day, he was caught red-handed while accepting the second installment of the bribe, amounting to Rs 20 lakh.
“In the investigation, it has come to light that he has collected crores of money by blackmailing many people and distributed the shares to his fellow enforcement officials.
Important related documents have also been seized. The investigation has revealed that many officials in Madurai and Chennai enforcement offices are involved in this issue,” the DVAC stated and added that searches are being conducted not only at the house of Ankit Tiwari and other places related to him but also at the Madurai and Chennai enforcement offices.