Lucknow, May 22 (IANS): Police here in Uttar Pradesh on Monday registered a case of murder in the death of Karnataka cadre IAS officer Anurag Tiwari.

Tiwari was found dead on May 17 on a roadside near a VIP guest house in the state capital under mysterious circumstances.

Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar ordered the registration of an FIR after the dead IAS officer's family filed a complaint in the case at the Hazratganj police station.

Earlier, Tiwari's family from Bahraich met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. They claimed foul play in the death of the 2007 batch IAS officer and sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

The family told the media that Adityanath assured them of justice.

The Special Investigating Team (SIT) formed by SSP Kumar had failed to crack the case even after the expiry of a 72-hour deadline. 

There have been conflicting versions and loose ends in the police probe into Tiwari's death. 

The family has claimed that Tiwari was killed as he was about to disclose a major multi-crore-rupee scam in the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department where he was posted as Commissioner.

Mayank Tiwari, brother of the deceased officer, has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention for a fair probe.

The IAS officer had stayed at the VIP guest house on Mirabai Marg for two days before his death on his 35th birthday. He was there with his batchmate P.N. Singh, who is Vice Chairman of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA).

Tiwari was last seen having dinner at a prominent eatery in the state capital on Tuesday near Raj Bhawan, a day before he was found dead.