In a shocking development, four officials of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) department were arrested on Wednesday by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) in Bengaluru. The officials, identified as Abhishek, Superintendent of Central Tax (South Commissionerate), Manoj Saini and Nagesh Babu, Senior Intelligence Officers, and Sonali Sahay, Intelligence Officer, were apprehended on charges of extorting Rs 1.5 crore from a local businessman.
The arrests followed a complaint filed by Keshav Tak, the owner of Mexo Solutions Private Limited, located in Jeevan Bhimanagar, Bengaluru. Tak alleged that between August 30 and September 1, the GST officials illegally detained him and his associates, claiming to be representatives of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and GST. According to the complaint, the officials conducted a “raid” at Tak’s residence without any official permission, confiscating mobile phones and assaulting him and his associates.
The complainant further detailed how the officials demanded Rs 3 crore in exchange for their release, but he managed to arrange Rs 1.5 crore by September 1. The amount was collected by the officials, who later left behind all the documents they had seized at the businessman’s office.
Tak became suspicious of the raid’s legitimacy and checked the background of the officials, leading him to file a police complaint at the Byappanahalli police station. Upon investigation, it was confirmed that the officials were indeed part of the GST department, but their actions were unauthorized, and the businessman and his associates had been illegally detained for two days.
The CCB produced the accused before a magistrate and secured a 10-day custody for further investigation. Authorities have not yet recovered the extorted money, but investigations are ongoing, with 32 mobile phones, two laptops, and 50 cheque books seized from the accused.
This case has raised serious concerns about the misuse of authority within the GST department and highlights the need for stricter oversight of enforcement actions.
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