In a dramatic turn to the ongoing infighting between the top heads of Central Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Personnel and Training issued an order late Tuesday, asking Joint Director M. Nageshwar Rao to take over charge as CBI Director.

Nageshwar Rao, a 1986 batch Odisha cadre officer, joined CBI as joint director and was promoted to additional director this year. “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved that during the period of the subsistence of the aforesaid interim measure, cited in reference above, Shri M Nageshwar Rao, IPS, presently working as Joint Director, CBI shall look after duties and functions of Director CBI and shall take over the duties and functions with immediate effect,” the government notification read.

According to media reports, raids are being conducted at the CBI office in Delhi, early this morning. The 10th and 11th floor of the CBI building are being searched. The offices of both Verma and Asthana have also been sealed.

The dramatic move comes at a time when Verma was at loggerheads with the CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, booked by the agency in an alleged bribery case. Asthana was also stripped of all his responsibilities at the agency yesterday. Asthana, a 1984 batch Indian Police Service officer of Gujarat cadre, is alleged to have demanded a bribe of Rs 5 crore from a Hyderabad-based businessman through two middlemen to help him get off the hook in the Moin Qureshi case.

Verma also alleged corruption on Asthana’s part with regard to the Sterling Biotech case. Asthana hit back by writing to the Cabinet Secretary saying that Verma was interfering in his probes and had tried to stall a raid on Lalu Prasad in the IRCTC case. He also alleged corruption on Verma’s part.