Government Removes ED Special Director Vineet Agarwal Who Ordered Transfer Of Officer Involved In Nirav Modi Case

The central government on Tuesday (16 April) removed Enforcement Directorate (ED) special director Vineet Agarwal who transferred the officer leading the investigation against fugitive businessman Nirav Modi, reports Hindustan Times.

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

However, within few hours, the transfer was revoked by ED Director Sanjay Mishra saying that Agarwal was not authorised to transfer the joint director on his own.

According to the report, officials in the ED said the government interpreted Agarwal’s action as an effort to interfere in the probe and decided to remove him.

Agarwal is a 1994 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Maharashtra cadre and was posted with the probe agency in January 2017 for a five-year term.

A 1994 batch IPS officer of Maharashtra cadre, Agarwal was posted with the central probe agency in January 2017 on a five-term term.

As per the report, the Cabinet Committee on Appointments on Tuesday (16 April) cut short his tenure with the central government by three years and ordered him to report to his parent cadre.