IAS officer’s mysterious death: CBI takes over probe

LUCKNOW: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Friday took over the case of the mysterious death of 2007 batch Karnataka cadre IAS Anurag Tewari on May 17. Additional superintendent of police of the CBI’s Delhi unit Santosh Kumar will probe the case. The agency registered an FIR under IPC Section 302 for murder in the matter at its Delhi unit.

Details of the FIR have been uploaded on the investigating agency’s official website.

The city police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to get a lead in the case even after a month-long probe.

Anurag’s family has alleged that the SIT was delaying the probe and gradually shifting the case towards closure.

Anurag’s elder brother Mayank said he was camping in Bengaluru since June 2 (where his brother was last posted as chairman of food and civil supplies department) and trying to collect evidence related to the alleged multi-crore scam in his department that apparently led to his alleged murder in Lucknow.

“Although I did not find any substantial evidence related to the scam, I came to know about suspicious activities at Anurag’s Bengaluru residence immediately after his death in Lucknow,” said Mayank.

He said he had come to know during his stay in Bengaluru that four people searched Anurag’s house between May 17 and 22. He said the house was later sealed on May 28 and was reopened when he and the SIT reached Bengaluru on June 2 but nothing was found there.

He said the search of Anurag’s house immediately after his death suggested that the intruders were searching for something crucial.

Moreover, it suggested involvement of staff in it as the department had the keys, he added.

Mayank said the SIT stayed in Bengaluru for two days but focused on proving Anurag’s death as an incident and not murder.

He said he would stay in Bengaluru till he exposed the multicrore scam in food and civil supplies department.

Circle officer of Hazratganj, Avinish Mishra, who is heading the SIT, said the team had recorded statements of over 25 people, including the IAS officer’s batchmate Prabhu Naraian Singh, who was last present with him, but so far no point hinted towards murder.

He said the IAS officer’s viscera, heart and blood sample had been sent to Chandigarh’s central forensic science laboratory for chemical examination.

“We can reach a conclusion only after getting the chemical examination report, as the doctors had mentioned asphyxia (suffocation due to lack of oxygen in the body) in the post-mortem examination report but had not cited the mode of asphyxia ,” he said..