CBI arrests joint commissioner of income tax and three others in a bribery case

New Delhi, June 30: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a Joint Commissioner of Income Tax & an Income Tax Officer, Range-53, Income Tax Department, Kolkata and a Chartered Accountant & his Assistant in an alleged bribery case.
CBI had registered a case against the Joint Commissioner of Income Tax and ITO on the complaint of the Owner of a firm engaged in business of fishery based at South 24 Parganas (West Bengal). It was alleged that both the public servants had demanded illegal gratification of Rs.25 lakhs from the Complainant for providing relief to his firm in avoiding penalty and additional tax liability.
CBI laid a trap and caught the Chartered Accountant & his Assistant red handed in the
office of the Complainant while allegedly accepting an illegal gratification of Rs. Three Lakhs as an installment of the demanded bribe from the Complainant, on behalf of the JCIT and ITO. The JCIT and the ITO were also arrested.
Searches have been conducted in the office & residential premises of the accused persons at Kolkata, Mumbai and Bihar. A cash of Rs.3.5 Lakhs, documents pertaining to three immovable properties and 14 Bank accounts etc have been recovered in the house of the Joint Commissioner of Income Tax at Mumbai. The documents are being scrutinised.
The arrested accused were produced before the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Alipore, Kolkata and were remanded to Judicial custody.        
Further investigation is continuing.

(SK Vyas/Jalandhar)