CBI team visits UP to probe IAS officer's murder

A CBI team on Saturday visited the Uttar Pradesh capital to probe the unexplained death of 2007-batch IAS officer Anurag Tiwari, a day after it filed a case of murder as part of the investigation.

The CBI filed an FIR on Friday and took over investigation of the case on the request of the Uttar Pradesh government and further notification from the central government into the death of Anurag, whose body was found outside a guest house in Lucknow a month ago.

According to the FIR, Anurag's brother Mayank Tiwari suspected foul play in the death.

"A team of CBI officials today (Saturday) visited Lucknow to probe the murder of IAS Anurag Tiwari. We had registered a case in the murder on Friday night," a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) spokesperson told IANS.

The CBI took over the investigation from the Uttar Pradesh police that registered an FIR on May 22 at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow against unknown persons on the complaint of Mayank.

Anurag, 36, was found dead in Lucknow on May 17.

The Karnataka cadre officer was posted as the Commissioner of the Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs department in Bengaluru.

Anurag, a resident of Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh, was in Lucknow for a few days to attend a training for the IAS officers.

In his statement to the local police, Mayank said that Anurag confided in him about exposing a scam in Karnataka and was under immense pressure to sign certain documents against his will.

He also told the police that Anurag had once spoken about a threat to his life.

Earlier this month, Anurag's family members met Uttar Pradeh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and asked for a CBI investigation.

--IANS

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