Former Chandigarh income tax officer held guilty in graft case

A special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday held Rakesh Jain, a former income tax officer posted at department’s Chandigarh branch guilty in a graft case. Rakesh was convicted under Sections 7 and 13 (2) read with 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on Thursday.

On February 6, 2013, Rakesh was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹50,000 from a local businessman in Sector 20. His mother Kanta Jain was also an accused in the case. However, she died during the trial.

The trap to catch Rakesh was laid on the basis of complaint filed by Ashok Arora of Sector 20. Rakesh was arrested from his Sector-22 residence with the bribe money.

Arora, who has a real-estate firm in Sector 22, was served a notice by the income tax department. He met Rakesh, who offered to sort out the matter for him in exchange of ₹3.5 lakh. The deal was finalised at ₹2.5 lakh.

Following this, Arora approached the CBI and a trap was laid, and as per the plan, the complainant went to Rakesh’s residence to pay the first instalment of ₹50,000. His mother Kanta Jain had ‘intentionally’ hid the bribe amount, which made her an accused as well.

During the raid, two gold bricks (1kg each) worth ₹60 lakh, documents pertaining to investment in shares amounting to ₹60 lakh among other items were recovered from his residence. The CBI had also recovered a brick of gold weighing 1kg, gold coins and jewellery weighing 500gm worth ₹15 lakh from Rakesh’s lockers in Bank of Baroda and State Bank of Patiala.

Another case of money laundering against him and his wife Suneet Jain is also been going on in the court of district and sessions judge.