IPS officer booked for carrying out ‘unauthorised’ 2023 raids in Delhi

Delhi Police filed an FIR against IPS officer Shankar Choudhary for abuse of authority, illegal detention, and unauthorized raids during a 2023 narcotics operation.

Delhi Police’s vigilance department has registered a first information report (FIR) against an IPS officer on charges of abusing authority, illegal detention, unauthorised raids, and misappropriation of seized property during a 2023 narcotics operation in south west Delhi.

IPS officer booked for carrying out ‘unauthorised’ 2023 raids in Delhi

Police identified the officer as Shankar Choudhary, who was the superintendent of police (Narcotics), Mizoram, at the time.

The FIR, registered on Thursday and seen by HT, has been registered under sections 166 (public servant disobeying law), 341 and 342 (wrongful confinement), and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) following a detailed vigilance inquiry.

According to the FIR, Choudhary “personally led raids in the Dabri-Bindapur area between 21 and 29 November 2023 without any written authorisation from Mizoram government or intimation to Delhi Police headquarters”.

He had been in Delhi during a sanctioned leave and carried out the operation after it expired on November 20, 2023.

CCTV footage, cited in the FIR, showed Choudhary, accompanied by Delhi Police personnel, entering the residence of a Nigerian national identified as Harrison at 3.34 am on November 26, staying for nearly two hours and leaving at 5.40 am carrying a locker and two bags. No seizure memo, inventory list or panchnama was prepared, the document read.

“This act tantamounts to illegal search and seizure, contravening sections 100, 165 and 166 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC),” the FIR notes.

The vigilance probe, according to the FIR, further found that Harrison was taken from his residence and kept confined at Mizoram House in Vasant Vihar from November 26 to 29, 2023, without any arrest memo or court production.

“There is no legal record of arrest, custody or production. This unlawful confinement constitutes violation of Article 22(2) of the Constitution and Sections 341-342 IPC,” it said.

According to the FIR, witness statements from Delhi Police head constables confirmed escorting Harrison to Mizoram House on Choudhary’s directions. CCTV footage from Mizoram House corroborated that Harrison remained there continuously for three days.

The FIR also refers to a PCR call received on November 29 alleging extortion by “Mizoram Police / Shankar Choudhary”. Though the caller could not be traced, the timing of the call and Harrison’s release the same night “creates a credible nexus suggestive of possible extortion or demand for illegal gratification,” the inquiry observed.

While Delhi Police personnel were found to have assisted Choudhary, vigilance concluded that they acted under perceived superior directions. “Their conduct represents procedural negligence and indiscipline, but no criminal intent is established,” the FIR said, recommending departmental action against three officials.

The vigilance report placed responsibility on Choudhary, stating he “exercised powers without jurisdiction, used Delhi Police resources informally, detained a suspect illegally and failed to document seized property, thereby violating criminal procedure and administrative norms.”

It further added that seized articles were neither deposited in any malkhana nor officially recorded, attracting section 409 IPC for criminal breach of trust by a public servant.

The FIR recommends criminal prosecution against Choudhary and initiation of major penalty proceedings for “grave misconduct, violation of CrPC and acts unbecoming of an IPS officer”.

The case has been given to an assistant commissioner of police rank officer for further investigation.

Neither Choudhary nor Harrison could be reached for comment.