The IB officials tried to free themselves by showing their cards from the clutches of Verma's security personnel but they were dragged and manhandled near Verma's house at 2 Janpath.
Four Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials were nabbed and dragged outside exiled Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Alok Kumar Verma's residence in Delhi on Thursday at around 7.45 am. Verma accused them of "snooping" but the IB refuted his claims.
The IB officials tried to free themselves by showing their cards from the clutches of Verma's security personnel but they were dragged and manhandled near Verma's house at 2 Janpath. They were handed over to the police.
The four officials have been identified as Dheeraj Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Prashant Kumar and Vineet Kumar Gupta.
In a major revamp, the government on Wednesday sent two warring CBI officers – CBI director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana on leave. Both have levelled charges of corruption against each other. The Centre appointed Nageshwar Rao as the interim chief of the CBI.
Soon after the incident, the IB said that their men were "not snooping". Janpath is home to several VIPs with high threat perception and the men had stopped to check on an "unusual collection of people" outside the house. "Our units are routinely deployed on a regular basis in sensitive areas. At times, this is done in association with the local law enforcement agencies and at other times, a surprise element is also built in," said IB officials.
The agency further said that these routine and regular checks at sensitive areas enables law enforcement agencies to respond immediately to developing situations.
"Since such officials are on routine duties, they carry their identity cards. This is unlike surveillance, which is done covertly, without any visible appurtenances," the IB stated. It further stated that on Thursday, a unit halted at Janpath to check why so many people had collected at the location. "Unfortunately, their presence was projected otherwise," said the agency. A senior officer also said, "Would they carry I-cards if they were in covert intelligence?"
The Congress accused the Modi-led government of resorting to "snooping" on Verma to cover-up the Rafale scam. Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the PM is suffering from Rafale-o-phobia. "The officer was planning to reveal the murky dealings in the Rafale scam, that's why the snooping and spying," he said.
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