Mumbai: The CBI has booked a superintendent of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST, Mumbai), an advocate and two private firms for allegedly offering a bribe to a GST intelligence officer.
Complaint Filed Over GST Evasion Links
According to the agency, a written complaint was filed on August 28 by Vivek Pratap Singh, Intelligence Officer, Directorate General of GST Intelligence, Durgapur. Singh alleged that he was entrusted by his office to collect intelligence associated with GST evasion and received a file regarding GST non-compliance by three offshore online betting website links.
As per the CBI, when Singh was conducting an inquiry regarding the file, he found one UPI ID of a private firm that was common to all the links. He collected details of the firm and found a bank account number linked with the director of another private firm. The CBI said, “Singh issued a letter to the firm to seek KYC and bank statement details, and also contacted the director on his mobile phone requesting to provide the account opening form and bank statement of the company.”
Officers from the CBI said Singh then received a call from a woman on August 14, who claimed to be an advocate of the firm and that she wanted to meet him to settle the case. Singh refused to meet her and asked her to send the requisite documents through email. Singh then received a call from a person on August 15, who introduced himself as a GST superintendent and asked about the ongoing inquiry.
GST Officer Resists ₹1 Crore Bribe Offer
As per the agency, on August 17, the officer called Singh on behalf of the two firms and offered Rs1 crore for settlement of the inquiry. The officer also called Singh on August 22 and August 26, offering the bribe again. As Singh was not willing to take the bribe, he requested to take suitable necessary action in the matter.
The CBI in its verification report confirmed that Singh was offered a bribe in the presence of the advocate and the delivery of the bribe was decided to be made in New Delhi. The CBI set a trap and apprehended two private persons while paying a bribe of Rs22 lakh to the officer.
