CBI has a arrested a Joint Commissioner of Income Tax and an Income Tax officer for allegedly demanding Rs 25 lakh as bribe from the owner of a fisheries business in West Bengal for settling tax issues.
CBI sources said Joint Commissioner Deepak J Mehta and Income Tax officer P N Srivastava, along with a middleman chartered accountant Samarendra Nath Ghosh, were arrested for allegedly demanding and accepting the bribe.
On getting input, a CBI team apprehended Srivastava and Ghosh while they were allegedly receiving the instalment of Rs three lakh, on behalf of Mehta, from the businessman for providing relief to his firm from penalty and additional tax liability, they said.
"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 spokesperson said here today.
The spokesperson said searches have been conducted in the office and residential premises of the accused persons in 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 in Mumbai. The documents are being scrutinised," the official said.
All the arrested accused have been sent to judicial custody by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Alipore, Kolkata.
