Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested an Assistant Commissioner CGST at the GST Commissionerate in Guwahati for demanding and accepting a bribe amount of Rs. 50,000 from a complainant.
A case was registered by the CBI against the accused, M. Srinivasa Rao, on a complaint by Ashok Kumar Sharma, one of the partners of the city-based S.S.S. Construction Company. It was alleged by Sharma that he was served demand and show cause notices and that he was called a number of times to the CGST office by Rao. The complainant further alleged that he had carried out civil works for which all the due taxes were paid by him.
The complainant further alleged that on his visit to the CGST office on June 20, 2024, to inquire about the matter, Assistant Commissioner Rao demanded Rs. two lakh as undue advantage for passing favourable orders. After negotiations, the accused allegedly agreed to accept Rs. 50,000 as a bribe.
Based on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap and caught the accused CGST Assistant Commissioner red-handed while accepting the bribe amount of Rs. 50,000 from the complainant. Subsequently, the accused tax official was arrested by the CBI, sources at the CBI office here said.
Searches were conducted at the official and residential premises of the accused in Guwahati and Hyderabad. It was also stated that the investigation into the case is continuing.
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