Amitabh Thakur's house searched by vigilance sleuths

LUCKNOW: High drama was today witnessed at the house of suspended IPS officer Amitabh Thakur when vigilance department sleuths searched his premises in a disproportionate assets case against the IG-rank officer.

"The vigilance team is conducting raid at my residence as Director Vigilance Bhanu Pratap Singh is working as a SP man. I am being harassed as I have lodged FIR against ( Samajwadi Party supremo) Mulayam Singy Yadav," Thakur told reporters outside his Gomti Nagar house.

Thakur has last week given a complaint at Vibhuti Khand police station, seeking registration of FIR against the Vigilance Director and others for alleged misrepresentation of facts in their inquiry report against him.

The Vigilance Department had lodged an FIR against Thakur last month charging him with possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

He was suspended in July after he lodged a police complaint against Mulayam, accusing him of threatening him over phone and attached to the Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters.

Thakur alleged that Vigilance Department chief and his subordinates have prepared a list of properties owned by his parents, brother, wife and an organisation with which he was earlier attached to, and showed them as his assets.

He said neither he nor his relatives were given a chance to explain about the acquisition of those properties.

Thakur maintained that it is a rule in any open inquiry, before declaring any property benami, Vigilance Department should give the owners and suspected beneficiary a chance to explain. He claimed this was not done in order to implicate him in a hurried manner.

When the vigilance team emerged out of Thakur's house, waiting mediapersons asked about the findings of the search, but the officials refused to divulge any details.

As mediapersons and onlookers gathered outside his house, Thakur said the sleuths had refused to show their identity cards when he asked for the same and behaved like party workers.