A Central GST official has been arrested in Bengaluru after Lokayukta police allegedly caught him accepting an Rs 8 lakh bribe through a middleman.
A Central GST official has been arrested in Bengaluru after Lokayukta police allegedly caught him accepting an Rs 8 lakh bribe through a middleman. The official had reportedly demanded Rs 20 lakh from an iron materials businessman to shut a tax evasion case against him.
GST Superintendent Mohit Pratap Singh, posted with the South Division-4, A-Range, South Commissionerate, was trapped by the anti-corruption sleuths on Thursday. His alleged agent, Salman Sheik, was also arrested in connection with the case.
According to Lokayukta police, the businessman had been booked for allegedly evading tax. However, the businessman claimed the case was false and approached Singh for a resolution.
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“The city-based businessman was booked for evading tax. However, the complaint was false and Singh knew it. When the businessman approached Singh seeking a solution, Singh promised to close the case once for all and demanded a Rs 20-lakh bribe. Finally, Singh agreed to take Rs 8 lakh and directed the businessman to hand over the money to his agent Salman Sheik,” Lokayukta police said.
Following the complaint, Lokayukta officials laid a trap to catch the accused officials red-handed. The businessman was instructed to hand over the cash to Sheik, who was waiting near Singh’s chamber at Kendriya Sadan in Bengaluru’s Koramangala.
“The businessman approached us and registered a case against Singh and Sheik under the Prevention of Corruption Act. We laid the trap and directed the businessman to hand over the cash to Sheik, who was waiting near Singh’s chamber in Kendriya Sadan, Koramangala. The raids were carried out when Singh received the cash from Sheik,” the anti-corruption police said.
The Lokayukta team subsequently arrested both Singh and Sheik. The duo was later sent to judicial custody at Bengaluru Central Prison.
The case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with further investigation underway.
