Haryana: GST officer, CA held red-handed taking ₹3 lakh bribe

Haryana vigilance team recovered ₹3 lakh after an alleged demand of ₹5 lakh to settle ₹75 lakh tax notice, the accused have been identified as ETO Divesh Sahu of the SGST department and CA Ajay Sharma

Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) on Thursday arrested a State GST excise and taxation officer (ETO) and a chartered accountant from Jind as they were caught accepting a cash bribe in connection with a pending tax notice.

An FIR has been registered at Police Station SV&ACB, Karnal, under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. (HT File)

The accused have been identified as ETO Divesh Sahu of the SGST department and CA Ajay Sharma. According to the vigilance bureau they were taken into custody following a trap laid by the bureau’s Jind unit.

Officials said Sahu had allegedly demanded ₹5 lakh from the proprietor of a private company of Jind to refrain from taking strict action on a notice issued under Section 74 of the SGST and CGST Act, 2017. The notice related to alleged tax evasion of ₹75 lakh.

According to the complaint Sahu used Sharma as an intermediary to collect the money. The first instalment of ₹3 lakh was to be paid on Thursday, with the balance to follow later. The complainant approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau office in Jind. After verifying the allegation, a vigilance team laid a trap and caught Sharma accepting the bribe at his office on Bhiwani Road. The entire amount of ₹3 lakh was recovered from him.

An FIR has been registered at Police Station SV&ACB, Karnal, under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Both accused are being questioned and further investigation is underway, the bureau said.