Guwahati: Central GST Commissioner & middleman arrested under bribery case

Guwahati, Jul 1: In a major crackdown against corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation, during a raid, arrested a Commissioner (Appeals), Central GST & CE, Guwahati, and a middleman in an alleged bribery case.

According to sources, a demand draft worth Rs. 48.43 lakh was issued in the name of payment for a bill through the office of the additional commissioner of CGST in Dibrugarh. This payment was related to the contract bill of North Eastern Railway.

Alleging tampering with the above amount, the victim lodged a complaint with the commissioner's office of CGST & CE (Appeals).

During one of the appeal hearings, the Commissioner allegedly demanded an amount of Rs. 4,50,000 (10% of the Service Tax demand) through middlemen. Later, the amount was settled at Rs. 3,83,000.

The CBI apprehended a middleman while he was accepting the bribe on behalf of the Commissioner, who is an IRS officer. The commissioner has also been arrested in connection with the matter.

Further investigation is underway.