6 CGST officials among 8 named by CBI in ₹50L bribery case

Mumbai: In a major crackdown, the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Mumbai unit has named six former/ serving Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) officers posted in the anti-evasion wing in a bribery case registered on Thursday. The case pertained to allegations that bribes worth ₹50 lakh were demanded and accepted from a city-based businessman in lieu of favours including non-arrest in a CGST evasion case. One of the six accused officials, a CGST superintendent, and accused two private individuals have been arrested and investigation is underway to determine the roles of other accused persons in the case, said CBI sources.

The bribery case was registered based on a complaint by the Malad-based businessman, who owns a pharmaceutical trading firm. In his complaint, the businessman alleged that when he visited the CGST office in Santacruz on September 4, he was kept confined for 18 hours and subjected to repeated use of force and verbal abuse by four CGST officials of superintendent rank who demanded a bribe of ₹80 lakh for not arresting him and favouring him in an ongoing tax evasion probe.

While the bribe amount was reduced to ₹60 lakh, the businessman alleged he was forced to call his cousin while under confinement to convey the demand. The cousin then contacted a chartered accountant, who further contacted a consultant and senior CGST officers including the accused joint commissioner, who has since been posted outside the state, said sources. The accused were paid ₹30 lakh out of ₹60 lakh demanded by the accused through hawala channels during this period, the sources added.

The CBI subsequently laid a trap and arrested three of the accused – including Sachin Gokulka, superintendent, CGST (anti-evasion) under the Mumbai West Commissionerate, chartered accountant Raj Aggarwal and consultant Abhishek Mehta. Aggarwal was arrested red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹20 lakh on behalf of the accused CGST officials, while Gokulka was nabbed when he met Mehta near the Oshiwara police station to collect the remaining bribe amount. Mehta was also arrested during this time, said CBI sources.

The three arrested accused were produced before a Mumbai special court, which remanded the CGST superintendent and the chartered accountant to CBI’s custody till September 10, while the consultant was sent to judicial custody.

Apart from the three arrested accused, the others named in the FIR include Deepak Sharma, additional commissioner (CGST); Rahul Kumar, joint commissioner (CGST) and CGST superintendents Bijender Janawa, Nikhil Agrawal and Nitin Gupta. Two of the accused belong to the Indian Revenue Service. The agency is scrutinising the roles of all the accused persons, said sources.

All eight accused have been booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to demands of undue advantage by public servants, undue advantage to influence public servants by corrupt or illegal means, abetment, conspiracy, wrongful confinement and voluntarily causing hurt.

The CBI has conducted searches at nine locations including the official and residential premises of the accused in and around Mumbai to recover various alleged incriminating documents.