Bengaluru: The CBI registered a preliminary enquiry into the death of Karnataka IAS officer DK Ravi.
CBI sources said the agency will examine all scenarios including any foul play into the mysterious death with a team of Special Crime Unit here and experts from CFSL likely to visit the crime scene soon.
They said the agency has taken up the case registered by Karnataka Police which is normal practice in the probe of special crime cases referred by the state government.
"The agency takes up the FIR registered by the state police. Further investigation is carried out and final report is submitted to the court on the basis of available evidence. The findings of the agency may differ from the allegations levelled by the state police," a CBI official clarified, as per PTI.
CBI team will also meet Bengaluru CID officials for collecting all the documents of the case.
"... The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry for investigation of a case registered earlier. At Madiwala Police Station into the unnatural death of D K Ravi, IAS, who was working at Additional Commissioner of Commercial Tax (Enforcement) Bengaluru," CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said.
The sources said the agency received the notification from the DoPT today after which a preliminary enquiry was initiated. If prima facie evidence surfaces which require conversion into FIR, it will be done, they said.
The Central government had on April 13 given its nod for a CBI probe into Ravi's death after Karnataka government fell in line and sent a fresh notification without any time limit.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued a notification to pave way for CBI inquiry into the case, official sources had said.
"In exercise of power conferred under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, the Central government with the consent of the state government of Karnataka extends the powers of the jurisdiction of the members of Delhi Special Police Establishment to the whole of the state of Karnataka for investigation of a case registered on March 16, into the unnatural death of DK Ravi in Bengaluru," the DoPT notification had said, as per PTI.
The state government had earlier sent a request for a CBI probe into the case with a clause that the investigation should be completed within three months.
This was, however, rejected by the CBI which said there could be no time limit for investigation.
The state government then later issued a fresh notification on April 6 requesting for a CBI probe into the death of Ravi, a 2009 batch IAS officer who had taken on the sand mafia in Karnataka.
He was found dead under mysterious circumstances on March 16, at his residence in Bengaluru. He was holding the charge of Additional Commissioner, Commercial Tax (Enforcement).
The death of Ravi had spiralled into a major controversy after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah initially refused to seek a CBI probe in the case. The case was being probed by Karnataka CID.
The central IAS officers' association had also demanded CBI probe in the case.
(With PTI inputs)
