The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has intensified its efforts to track down an assistant director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) posted in Shimla, who escaped during a trap operation on Sunday, officials said.
The ED officer and his brother, Vikas Deep, a senior manager at Punjab National Bank in Delhi, allegedly travelled to Chandigarh to accept a bribe of Rs 55 lakh from a businessman facing charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said, PTI reported.
Also Read:J-K traffic chaos: 2,000 vehicles stuck as snowfall halts movement, tourists stranded in Gulmarg
The businessman lodged a complaint with the CBI, alleging extortion, prompting the agency’s Chandigarh unit to set up a trap operation. The businessman was instructed to deliver the bribe money while CBI officials monitored the exchange. However, the ED officer, on deputation from the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), reportedly became suspicious and fled the scene with the cash, officials stated.
Despite six days of efforts, including technical surveillance, the officer remains untraceable. On Friday, the CBI conducted a search at his residence, recovering Rs 56 lakh in cash. The total amount recovered so far, including the bribe, stands at approximately Rs 1 crore, officials added.
The vehicle used by the officer to escape was later located at the ED office. Meanwhile, Vikas Deep has been arrested and produced in court. The CBI is interrogating him to determine his role in the case, they said.
Sources within the ED revealed that the assistant director, along with his supervisory officers—a deputy director and a joint director based in Chandigarh—has been transferred to Delhi following the incident.
(With PTI Inputs)