Chartered accountant arrested in I-T graft case

23 Dec 2008, 0328 hrs IST, C Unnikrishnan, TNN

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MUMBAI: The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) of the CBI on Monday arrested chartered accountant (CA) Rakesh Makhija in connection with the corruption

case involving additional commissioner of income tax R K Gupta.

According to the CBI, Gupta had invested Rs 50 lakh in benami properties through Makhija, an associate of another CA, Chandan Parmar. Earlier, Parmar had been under the scanner of the Delhi CBI in connection with another corruption case, involving A K Gautam, commissioner of income tax. "Parmar is certainly under our watch," said CBI superintendent Praveen Salunkhe.

Makhija was produced before the court of additional sessions judge S P Kulkarni on Monday and was remanded in CBI's custody till December 24. His laptop has also been seized.

Gupta, an Indian Revenue Officer of the 1994 batch, was arrested on December 19 on charges of accepting bribe of Rs 4 lakh from a tax consultant for clearing a pending assessment. Gupta had demanded Rs 10 lakh and had asked the assessee to pay the remaining Rs 6 lakh the next day, officials said. The CBI later found another Rs 8 lakh stashed away in his office drawer.

Joint director of CBI Rishi Raj Singh told TOI that Gupta had investments running into over Rs 3 crore. "We have identified five flats belonging to him and further investigations are on," he said.