Fake I-T officers get bail as CBI court finds no need for custody

The accused, Hemant Kumar Nain and Sandeep Kumar, allegedly posed as tax officials and demanded money to “settle” a case involving a ₹1 crore tax notice

MUMBAI: Two men accused of impersonating Income Tax officials to extort money from a 63-year-old man’s family have been granted bail by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court, which held that their custodial interrogation was not necessary.

Fake I-T officers get bail as CBI court finds no need for custody

The court noted that the CBI had not arrested the accused during the investigation and had already filed its chargesheet, concluding that there was no justification to keep them in custody.

The accused, Hemant Kumar Nain and Sandeep Kumar, allegedly posed as tax officials and demanded money to “settle” a case involving a ₹1 crore tax notice.

The case stems from a complaint filed on March 4, 2025, by Radhika Keshwani. Her father, a senior citizen and regular taxpayer, had received a notice under Section 144 of the Income Tax Act for financial year 2019-20 through the official portal in January 2025, which was duly responded to by him through a chartered accountant.

On February 5, 2025, he received a WhatsApp call from a person identifying himself as “Sanjay Kumar” from the Income Tax Office in New Delhi. The caller warned that a ₹1 crore demand notice would be issued and allegedly demanded ₹5 lakh to “settle” the matter and demanded urgency claiming pressure from senior officials.

Following negotiations over multiple calls, the demand was reduced to ₹2 lakh. The complainant, however, refused to pay the bribe and approached the CBI, leading to the registration of the case.

Investigators alleged that Nain posed as the officer while acting in conspiracy with Kumar to pressure the family into paying the bribe.

After the chargesheet was filed, both accused appeared before the court in response to the summons and sought bail.

The court granted the bail, noting that, “After going through the papers on record… no ground is made out for custodial interrogation and detention of the applicant.”