On The Run Over Rs 40-Lakh Bribery Case, GST Officer Arrested In Rishikesh

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an on-the-run revenue officer in connection with an alleged Rs 40 lakh bribery case.

The probe agency has now traced Raigad CGST Additional Commissioner Vinay Kumar Kantheti to Rishikesh and taken him into custody.

The CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch, Mumbai, registered a case on August 26, following a complaint alleging that Rakesh Kumar Sinha, Superintendent, CGST, from Raigad's Khandeshwar, had demanded an illegal gratification of Rs 1.5 crore. He subsequently reduced the amount to Rs 40 lakh. The alleged demand was made in connection with proceedings relating to the complainant's firm.

The CBI laid a trap on August 27 and caught customs house agent Narinder Rajput while he was accepting Rs 40 lakh on behalf of Sinha. They also detained Kantheti, a 2009-batch revenue officer.

All three accused were arrested and produced before the Special CBI Court in Thane. The CBI sought five days of police custody for custodial interrogation. However, on August 28, the Special Court rejected the request, held the arrests illegal and released the accused on bail.

The CBI challenged the order before the Bombay High Court. On September 16, the high court quashed and set aside the special court's order and remanded the accused to two days of CBI custody.

The high court found that the grounds of arrest had been communicated to the accused in writing. It also noted that the relevant family members and advocates had been duly informed about the arrests.

Following the order, Sinha and Rajput were taken into CBI custody for two days and subsequently sent to 14 days of judicial custody by the court.

Kantheti, however, had been allegedly on the run instead of complying with the high court order. He has now been arrested.