The Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) arrested a Central Goods and Services Tax ( CGST ) Superintendent, for alleged demand of bribes to the tune of Rs. 50000/- and acceptance of Rs. 20,000/- as partial payment.
In a significant development on Thursday, A case was registered against the GST Official, Superintendent of GST, Rourkela, based on a written complaint lodged by Shri Aditya Kumar Nayak on 24.01.2024.
The complainant, proprietor of M/s. Anantbhuja Construction Pvt. Ltd., alleged that the CGST Official demanded a bribe of Rs.50,000 to correct an erroneously fixed GST liability of Rs.8 lakh to Rs.3.5 lakh. Negotiations resulted in an agreement for a partial bribe of Rs.20,000 as the first installment.
Responding promptly to the complaint, the CBI laid a trap, catching the CGST Official red-handed while accepting the partial bribe of Rs.20,000 from the complainant. Simultaneously, searches are being conducted at the CGST Official’s residential premises in Rourkela, Odisha.
The complaint detailed that Shri Amarkant Kumar had instructed the complainant to pay the bribe before 26.01.2024. Due to the complainant’s inability to travel immediately to Bhubaneswar, Shri Amit Kumar, Sub-Inspector, and others were deployed to Rourkela. The written complaint, received on 24.01.2024, outlined the demand for the bribe to reduce the GST liability. Verification of the complaint revealed negotiations between the complainant and the CGST Official, leading to an agreement on the partial bribe. The CBI, considering the prima facie evidence, registered a Regular Case ( RC0152024A0002 ) against the CGST Official under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The case has been assigned to Shri Ashok Kumar, Dy.SP, CBI, ACB, Bhubaneswar, for further investigation.
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