ED officer 'caught red-handed' by Tamil Nadu police for accepting ₹20 lakhs bribe

The Tamil Nadu DVAC continued probing the ED's Madurai office in a bribery case involving officer Ankit Tiwari. Tiwari demanded Rs 51 lakh from a government employee to close a case. He was caught red-handed accepting Rs 20 lakh, leading to his arrest and judicial custody.

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In Tamil Nadu's Madurai, the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) persisted in its investigation at the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) sub-zonal office. This relentless pursuit stemmed from the involvement of ED officer Ankit Tiwari in a bribery case. Tiwari, an Enforcement Officer within the Union Government's Madurai Enforcement Department office, faced charges after being apprehended while demanding and receiving a hefty bribe of Rs 20 lakh from a doctor. His arrest unfolded as a consequence of a sequence of events where Tiwari, along with his team, had been coercing multiple individuals, extorting money under the guise of resolving their cases within the Enforcement Directorate.

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An alarming incident arose when Tiwari allegedly reached out to a government employee from Dindigul, discussing a Vigilance case against him that had purportedly been closed. Under false pretenses, Tiwari claimed instructions had arrived from the Prime Minister's Office, prompting an inquiry. On October 30, he summoned the employee to the Madurai ED office, demanding an exorbitant Rs 3 crore to avoid legal repercussions. Negotiations ensued, lowering the bribe demand to Rs 51 lakh, yet culminating in Tiwari receiving Rs 20 lakh as the initial installment on November 1. Threats and coercion through electronic communication followed, pressuring the employee to pay the balance or face severe consequences.

Upon suspicion, the employee lodged a complaint with the DVAC's Dindigul unit, revealing Tiwari's misuse of authority. The DVAC intervened and apprehended Tiwari red-handed on December 1 while accepting the second installment of Rs 20 lakh, leading to his subsequent arrest and judicial custody until December 15.