Don’t label Enforcement Directorate over single graft case arrest: Annamalai

Responding to the arrest of an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer in a graft case.

In Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul, state BJP chief K Annamalai said the entire financial probe agency should not be labelled ‘bad’ because of a single incident.

“Officers from agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation have been arrested in West Bengal, Delhi, Rajasthan and other states in the past. We can’t label the entire ED ‘bad’ just because of the actions of one individual. Likewise, we can’t brand the entire Tamil Nadu Police ‘bad’ because of the actions of a single individual,” said Annamalai.

“Action must be taken against the ones that have committed a crime. Especially as this has happened within the ED, the action must be strict. There is no difference of opinion on that. This is a subject that must be professionally handled by the Tamil Nadu Police. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has the right to carry out such an operation and notify agencies concerned,” he said.

On Friday, an Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer was arrested after he was caught allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from a government employee in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul. He was arrested by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

The officer, identified as Ankit Tiwari, has been sent to judicial custody till December 15. Following his arrest, searches were carried out by the Dindigul district Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) at the ED’s Madurai office. Ankit Tiwari’s residence was also searched by the officials.

Investigation into the case showed that more officers from Madurai and Chennai were involved in this case, sources said.

Ankit Tiwari had allegedly been blackmailing many people and was taking bribes worth crores from them. He was also distributing the bribes to other ED officials, sources added.