Assam: CBI arrests GST Commissioner, middleman in Rs. 3.83 lakh Guwahati bribery case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken into custody a Commissioner (Appeals) from Central GST & CE, Guwahati, along with a middleman, in connection with an alleged bribery case totaling Rs. 3.83 lakh.

According to reports, the arrests follow a complaint filed against the Commissioner and three middlemen. The complaint alleged irregularities related to construction work for the N.F. Railway, with the complainant submitting bills for the same. Subsequently, the Additional Commissioner of Central Goods & Service Tax in Dibrugarh issued a Service Tax demand amounting to Rs. 48,43,034.

Discontented with the demand, the complainant appealed the decision before the Commissioner (Appeals) of CGST, Central Excise & Customs in Guwahati. It was during one of these appeal hearings that the Commissioner purportedly sought a bribe of Rs. 4,50,000, which later negotiated down to Rs. 3.83 lakh to settle the matter.

The CBI, acting on the complaint, laid a trap and apprehended a middleman in the act of accepting the bribe on behalf of the Commissioner, who holds the rank of an IRS officer. Simultaneously, the Commissioner himself was detained during the operation.

During subsequent searches at the accused's premises, the CBI recovered incriminating materials. Both individuals are slated to appear before the Competent Court as part of ongoing legal proceedings.