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IRS officer booked by Haryana ACB for allowing transporters evade tax
“Investigation has revealed that IRS officer Dheeraj Garg has hidden his ill-gotten wealth in a number of shell companies opened on fictitious addresses and purchased properties in and around Delhi and Haryana in benami names,” said ACB officials.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Haryana, has registered a criminal case against an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Dheeraj Garg, and officials of the Haryana excise and taxation department for allegedly collecting money from transporters to let them off. This way the tax officials let the transporters evade payment of tax, an ACB spokesperson said.
Garg, who was earlier posted as additional excise and taxation commissioner (enforcement), Haryana, has allegedly been found involved in the racket of obtaining bribes for a consideration, ACB officials said.
Garg is being questioned for his role as well as the role of other officials and private persons for allegedly obtaining illegal gratification and using ill-gotten funds in fictitious firms, an ACB spokesperson said.
“Investigation has revealed that the IRS officer has hidden his ill-gotten wealth in a number of shell companies opened on fictitious addresses and has purchased properties in and around Delhi and Haryana in benami names,” the spokesperson said.
Garg, who is on an inter-cadre deputation with the Haryana government, was moved out of the excise and taxation department last October and posted as mission director, Haryana Skill Development Mission.
ACB officials said investigations in the criminal case against excise and taxation officials have revealed a well-organised nexus of tax officials who were paid hefty amounts on a monthly basis to keep the racket going.
“As part of this scam, a preferred list of transporters was circulated amongst the officials on duty for roadside checking to allow them to evade the required tax payment in return for a consideration. Middlemen acted as touts in the collection of bribes from the transporters and passed it on to the public servants,’’ an ACB spokesperson said.
The ACB said that searches conducted by their teams at 22 locations have revealed properties and companies purportedly owned by IRS officer Garg with an investment of about ₹46 crore obtained as a result of illegal gratification.
“The properties include residential and commercial premises purchased in the name of shell companies opened by the accused public servant in a clandestine manner in benami names and through frontmen out of the bribe money obtained by him in connivance with the private persons and the transporters. The raids have also revealed the creation of fictitious sale deeds for channelising illegal funds. The accused officer has been found residing in properties in Panchkula and Gurgaon purchased in the name of shell companies worth crores,” ACB officials said.
