Govt removes ED special director Vineet Agarwal who transferred officer probing Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi

Officials in the anti-money laundering probe agency said the government had interpreted Agarwal’s action as an effort to interfere in the crucial Nirav Modí probe and decided to send him packing.

The Centre on Tuesday removed Enforcement Directorate special director Vineet Agarwal who landed himself in the middle of a huge controversy a fortnight ago for transferring the officer leading the probe against fugitive Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.

The Centre on Tuesday removed Enforcement Directorate special director Vineet Agarwal who landed himself in the middle of a huge controversy a fortnight ago for transferring the officer leading the probe against fugitive Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.(File Photo)

Satyabrata Kumar, an ED joint director, was in London on March 29 for a hearing in the Nirav Modi case last month when Agarwal, his boss and the agency’s Mumbai chief, issued the controversial transfer orders.

ED Director Sanjay Mishra had revoked Satyabrata Kumar’s transfer within few hours, saying Agarwal was not authorised to transfer the joint director on his own.

Officials in the anti-money laundering probe agency said the government had interpreted Agarwal’s action as an effort to interfere in the crucial Nirav Modí probe and decided to send him packing.

A 1994 batch IPS officer of Maharashtra cadre, Agarwal was posted with the central probe agency in January 2017 on a five-term term. On Tuesday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet cut short his tenure with the central government by three years and ordered him to report to his parent cadre Maharashtra.

As Mumbai special director, Agarwal headed ED’s probes in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Agarwal was also the first supervisory officer of 2G scam in CBI.