Enforcement Directorate Officer Under Corruption Investigation Dies by Suicide

An officer from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), who was being investigated by both the agency and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an alleged corruption case, was found dead by suicide. The body of Alok Kumar Pankaj was discovered on a railway track in Sahibabad, near Delhi, on Tuesday.

Alok Kumar, a resident of Ghaziabad, had been on deputation to the ED in New Delhi and had previously served with the Income Tax department. Recently, he had undergone questioning by the CBI on two separate occasions regarding the corruption allegations but was not detained due to insufficient evidence.

Pankaj’s name emerged in a bribery investigation after Sandeep Singh, an assistant director at the ED, was arrested by the CBI. The arrest followed a complaint from an individual who claimed Singh had demanded Rs 50 lakh to avoid arresting his son. The CBI set up a sting operation, leading to Singh’s capture while accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh in Delhi.

Sandeep Singh was also accused of taking bribes from a Mumbai jeweler whose store had been previously raided by the ED. In the related FIR, Alok Kumar Pankaj was named as a co-accused alongside Singh. Following the incident, Singh was reportedly suspended from his position.

Local authorities have transferred Alok Kumar Pankaj’s body to a mortuary for a post-mortem examination and are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding his apparent suicide.