The Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) has arrested three public servants, including a Deputy Commissioner of Customs, a Superintendent, and an official from the Inland Container Depot ( ICD ) Tughlakabad in Delhi.
Additionally, two private individuals, including a Customs House Agent ( CHA ) and an employee of a Delhi-based private firm, have also been taken into custody. The arrest was from a case involving bribery related to customs clearance and penalty reduction for a Mumbai-based private firm.
The CBI registered the case on September 6, 2024, against seven accused individuals: the Deputy Commissioner, the Superintendent, and the ICD official, along with four private persons including the CHA, an employee of the Delhi firm, an employee from the Mumbai firm, and another Delhi-based private individual. The allegations against them involve demanding and accepting bribes to reduce penalties for the Mumbai-based firm and for clearing import/export consignments and customs bonds.
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According to the charges, the public servants were engaged in a scheme of soliciting and receiving illegal payments from the CHA in exchange for reducing penalties imposed on the Mumbai firm.
The ICD official and the Deputy Commissioner were said to be in constant contact with the CHA and the Delhi firm employee to facilitate customs clearance and were involved in collecting bribes. The bribes were allegedly transferred through the ICD official’s bank account before being delivered to the Deputy Commissioner.
On August 9, 2024, the CHA reportedly requested the Deputy Commissioner to impose a minimal penalty of Rs. 70,000 on the Mumbai firm’s bills. The Deputy Commissioner allegedly agreed and demanded a bribe in return. On August 10, the ICD official confirmed the penalty amount to the CHA and requested the bribe payment.
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By September 3, the Mumbai firm’s employee arranged for the bribe to be delivered in Delhi. On September 5, the CHA reportedly delivered Rs. 50,000 to the Superintendent, with plans to give the remaining bribe to the Deputy Commissioner on September 6.
The CBI set up a trap on September 6, apprehending the Deputy Commissioner, the ICD official, and the CHA during the exchange of Rs. 72,000. The Superintendent, who had previously received Rs. 50,000, was also arrested.
Following their arrests, the accused were presented before the Special Judge for CBI Cases at the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi and were remanded to police custody until September 14, 2024.
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Simultaneous searches across nine locations in Delhi, Mumbai, Faridabad, Gurugram, Raigarh, and Kinnaur (HP) yielded incriminating documents and approximately Rs. 19.25 lakh in cash. The investigation is ongoing.
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