Two top revenue officials in CBI net

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUNE 25. Two top Revenue Department officials have landed in the CBI net for alleged amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income.

A total of 45 expensive watches such as Rolex, Omega, Rado, Cartier, Mont Blanc and Baurne, diamond-encrusted gold and platinum jewellery, accounts in 13 banks, 45 bottles of expensive foreign liquor, a flat in the Income Tax Colony in East Delhi and one each in Ahmedabad and Indore, a 390 sq. yard plot in Agra, investments in shares and Indira Vikas Patras to the tune of Rs. 7.5 lakhs - these assets were unearthed by the CBI after searches at the residential premises of a Commissioner (Appeals) Income Tax, Mumbai, now remanded to CBI custody.

The Commissioner, belonging to the 1971 batch of the Indian Revenue Service, was caught while accepting a bribe of Rs. 50,000 from an assessee, who had four appeals pending.

The CBI said the Commissioner had passed orders on two appeals and had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs. 3.5 lakhs. The assessee expressed his inability to cough up the full amount and agreed to pay Rs. 50,000 as the first instalment. The assessee complained to the CBI, which laid a trap and caught the Commissioner while accepting the bribe.

The searches at his residential premises uncovered assets indicating a lavish lifestyle. It was revealed that the Commissioner had privately travelled abroad 16 times with his wife and two daughters. He was posted from 1984 to 1992 at Mumbai, from 1992 to 1996 at Delhi and from 1996 onwards at Mumbai again. He has been remanded to CBI custody till June 27.

In another incident, the CBI registered a case against the Commissioner of Central Excise, Visakhapatnam, and also incharge of Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, Guntur, who is at present under suspension. Two individuals have also been booked under Section 120-B of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

As Commissioner of Customs and Central Excise, the officer was empowered to adjudicate matters of Central Excise and his jurisdiction extended upto Chittoor district. He has been accused by the CBI of allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs. 11 lakhs to settle an excise matter.

According to the CBI, the cement division of an industrial group had been fraudulently removing excisable cement without paying excise. The firm's premises were raided by the Central Excise Department officials and a showcause notice served in April last, asking it to pay Rs. 34.03 lakhs as excise duty for the period 1996-98.

The officer accorded a personal hearing to the vice-president of the cements division on February 7. The CBI alleged that the officer abused his official position and reduced the firm's liability towards excise duty from Rs. 34.03 lakhs to Rs. 1.35 lakhs.

He allegedly demanded Rs. 11 lakhs as bribe from the company official for showing official favour by imposing lesser excise liability, which would cause gain to the company.

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