Chennai, The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has lodged a police complaint against officials from Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), accusing them of criminal trespass, stealing sensitive documents, and allowing unauthorized individuals to conduct an illegal search at its Madurai office on December 1.
ED’s assistant director, Brijesh Beniwal, filed the 16-page complaint, urging Tamil Nadu Director General of Police Shankar Jiwal to initiate an FIR against the accused. The complaint follows an overnight search at ED’s Madurai office after the arrest of enforcement officer Ankit Tiwari on bribery charges.
The ED complaint contends that only four DVAC officers and two witnesses were authorized for the search, yet 35 individuals, including some claiming to be police, along with media and a mob, forcefully entered their Madurai office. The unauthorized personnel allegedly accessed sensitive case records, information, and internal documents unrelated to the search case.
DVAC had initiated the search after Tiwari’s arrest, who allegedly received a ₹20 lakh bribe from a government doctor in Dindigul district to close a case registered by the agency in 2020. The DVAC team, as per their panchnama, seized three incriminating documents from Tiwari’s room.
DVAC’s version suggests that Beniwal obstructed their efforts, prompting them to seek local police assistance. The FIR filed on November 30 accuses Tiwari of demanding ₹3 crore from the doctor to close the case. The doctor paid ₹20 lakh on December 1, leading to Tiwari’s arrest.
The ED’s complaint emphasizes the unauthorized access to sensitive documents and records, calling attention to its protest recorded in the panchnama filed by the DVAC team. The incident raises concerns about the protection of sensitive information during law enforcement actions.
