A Special Task Force of the Enforcement Directorate in New Delhi has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report case against the central agency’s own Enforcement Officer in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, reported The Hindu.

Such a report is typically precedes action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

The officer, Ankit Tiwari, was arrested by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption on December 1 for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh from a government doctor in Dindigul city earlier this month.

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The complainant in the case is a government doctor, Dr Suresh Babu, who had been named in a disproportionate assets case registered in 2018. Although the proceedings of the case had completed and Babu faced departmental action, he was summoned by the central agency’s Madurai office a few months ago.

On Wednesday, the Madras High Court denied bail to Tiwari in the case. The Tamil Nadu Police had earlier booked the assistant director of enforcement, Sub-Zonal Office, Madurai, and 14 other officials for allegedly preventing the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption from conducting a raid on Tiwari’s office on December 1.

Tiwari had allegedly threatened Babu with arrest if he did not pay a bribe of Rs 3 crore. Subsequently, Babu reportedly negotiated the deal with Tiwari to bring down the amount to Rs 51 lakh. On November 1, Babu reportedly paid over Rs 20 lakh in cash to Tiwari.

The doctor lodged a complaint with the Tamil Nadu Police after Tiwari demanded the rest of the payment. Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption officials then reportedly directed Babu to hand over Rs 20 lakh cash to Tiwari on December 1. After Tiwari collected the cash, the Tamil Nadu Police team intercepted his vehicle after chasing it on the Dindigul-Madurai highway for about 20 kms and arrested him.