Delhi Police releases IB officers who were arrested from CBI Chief Alok Verma's house

While talking to ABP News Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik said that they are yet to confirm the identity of the suspects. The four suspects claim that they are - Junior Intelligence Officer Dhiraj Kumar, Junior Intelligence Officer Ajay Kumar, Assistant Content Officer Prashant Kumar, Assistant Content Officer Vineet Kumar. The also recovered 3 mobile phones and an iPads from them.

The Delhi Police is now investigating the case and interrogating the suspects. / ABP News Grab

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Thursday released the four suspects who were arrested outside the residence of Alok Verma, the CBI Director who was divested of his powers and sent on leave by the government on Wednesday, from Delhi. In the case, no complaint was filed by Alok Sharma as well as Intelligence Beauru in the police. It was earlier reported that four people had come in a car out of which two suspects were reportedly snooping around the house at 2 Janpath. The four suspects had said that they were Intelligence Beauru officials but while talking to ABP News, Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik had said that they are yet to confirm the identity of the suspects. The four suspects had said that they were- Junior Intelligence Officer Dhiraj Kumar, Junior Intelligence Officer Ajay Kumar, Assistant Content Officer Prashant Kumar, Assistant Content Officer Vineet Kumar. The police also recovered 3 mobile phones and an iPads from them. IB sources said "IB units are routinely deployed on open patrol duty on a regular basis in high-security zones in Delhi. Such monitoring does not mean that we are running an intelligence mission." Earlier on Wednesday, the Prime Minister-led Appointments Committee gave charge of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director to Joint Director M Nageshwara Rao while CBI Director Alok Verma, Spl Director Rakesh Asthana were sent on leave. In an unprecedented shake-up in the CBI's 55-year-history, both its Director and Special Director were stripped of their powers. Verma knocked the doors of the Supreme Court Wednesday challenging the government's decision after which it agreed to hear his plea on Friday. Targeting the Centre, Verma contended that divesting him of his powers "overnight" amounts to interference in the independence of the agency. He said as the CBI is expected to function completely independently and autonomously, there are bound to be occasions when certain investigations into high functionaries do not take the direction that may be desirable to the government.

What is CBI Vs CBI Feud?

Earlier in the week, an FIR was filed by the CBI against special director Rakesh Asthana for allegedly accepting a bribe from a businessman, who was related to controversial meat exporter Moin Akhtar Qureshi case. Asthana was heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing Qureshi's case. The Delhi High Court Tuesday directed the CBI to maintain status quo on the criminal proceedings initiated against the agency's Special Director Rakesh Asthana and a trial court sent an arrested mid-level officer Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar facing bribery charges to seven-day remand, as the unprecedented internecine battle between the two top officers of the CBI entered the judicial arena. During the court hearing, the CBI also submitted that charges of extortion and forgery were added against Asthana and Devender Singh, a Deputy Superintendent police of CBI who was arrested on Monday by the agency for allegedly taking bribe and falsification of records. The high-voltage drama involving Asthana and his boss Alok Verma, the CBI Director, also provided more fodder to the Congress and other opposition parties to target the Centre which was accused of "destroying the country's institutions".