Accused of keeping a businessman hostage overnight for a bribe of Rs 60 lakh… Three arrested including a CGST officer

CBI action, three arrested

CBI said that out of the alleged bribe amount in this case, Rs 30 lakh was first given through hawala. Then Rs 20 lakh was taken as bribe in cash. A complaint was lodged in CBI regarding this. CBI took action and caught three accused from the spot. CBI said that on receiving the complaint in this case, CBI had registered a case against eight people including six officers of Mumbai CGST on September 5.

FIR filed against them

The CBI said the accused against whom the FIR has been registered include Additional Commissioner of CGST Commissionerate Mumbai West Deepak Kumar Sharma, Superintendent Sachin Gokulka, Superintendent Bijendra Janwa, Superintendent Nikhil Agarwal, Superintendent Nitin Kumar Gupta, Joint Commissioner Rahul Kumar and Chartered Accountant Raj Agarwal along with private person Abhishek Mehta.

CBI told what is the whole matter

CBI said that it is alleged that when the victim businessman living in Goregaon (West) Mumbai area went to CGST office Santacruz on the evening of 4 September, he was held hostage in the office the whole night. He was released after about 18 hours on the morning of 5 September the next day. It is alleged that during this time an accused superintendent (bribery taker) allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 80 lakh from the victim complainant to not arrest him. Which was later reduced to Rs 60 lakh.

Complaint against three including CGST superintendent

It is also alleged that three other colleagues of the said Superintendent (all CGST Superintendents) also assisted him in pressurising the complainant. This included repeated use of force and verbal abuse against the victim throughout the night. The victim was allegedly forced to call his cousin during his captivity to inform him about the undue favour demanded by the CGST officers for not arresting him and favouring him in the ongoing CGST investigation.

How did the deal proceed after the businessman was taken hostage

It is alleged that the cousin of the complainant later contacted one of the accused CA, who further contacted senior CGST officials and others. Both the accused CA and the other accused private person went to the CGST office during midnight, where the bribe transaction was allegedly negotiated with the CGST officials. It is alleged that initially Rs 80 lakh was demanded for his release, which was later settled at Rs 60 lakh. This amount was to be delivered to the CGST officials through the accused CA. Out of the bribe of Rs 60 lakh negotiated in the mutual negotiation, Rs 30 lakh was allegedly transferred by the cousin of the complainant through an angadia. Only after this, the complainant was allowed to be released from the CGST office the next day.

CBI caught them like this by laying a trap

Acting on this serious complaint, CBI laid a trap in which the accused CA was caught red handed while accepting Rs 20 lakh from the balance amount of bribe from CGST officials. The bribe amount was then routed to another accused private person in a controlled bribery process who was to further route the bribe to CGST officials through accused Superintendent CGST (bribe acceptor).

Two on CBI remand and one in judicial custody

During further trap proceedings, the accused Superintendent CGST (acceptor of bribe) called the second accused private person to meet him near Oshiwara Police Station Mumbai to accept the bribe. Subsequently, the said accused Superintendent CGST was also apprehended by the CBI team. CBI arrested the above three accused while accepting bribe during the trap proceedings. They were produced before the Special Court for CBI cases in Mumbai. The court remanded the arrested Superintendent CGST and CA till September 10 and the arrested private person was sent to judicial custody. CBI conducted raids at nine places including offices, houses and other hideouts of the accused in Mumbai and adjoining areas. CBI recovered many important documents from here.