CBI busts major bribery ring in CGST Jabalpur; arrests 5

Exposing a major bribery ring in the CGST department, the CBI has arrested two Superintendents and three Inspectors for allegedly taking Rs 7 lakh bribe from a businessman in Jabalpur and confiscated Rs 83.26 lakh in cash during searches, officials said Wednesday.

Superintendents Kapil Kamble and Somen Goswami, along with Inspectors Veerendra Jain, Vikas Gupta, and Pradeep Hazari, all assigned to the Jabalpur CGST office, allegedly solicited Rs 1 crore bribe in exchange for issuing a release order for a businessman's factory, they said.

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"It was further alleged that the factory premises were previously raided and sealed in May 2023 by the aforementioned Superintendents and other CGST officials in Jabalpur. After negotiations, the alleged bribe amount was reduced to Rs 35 lakh," stated a CBI spokesperson.

The businessman had already paid Rs 25 lakh as a bribe and the accused were pressuring him to pay the remaining Rs 10 lakh, according to officials.

The businessman approached the CBI with a complaint that he was being coerced into paying the bribe, they added.

The agency conducted preliminary investigations to verify the allegations. Meanwhile, a settlement was reached, reducing the outstanding bribe to Rs 7 lakh.

The CBI had already verified the allegations with the assistance of the complainant and was prepared at the designated location where the alleged bribe was to be exchanged.

"The CBI set a trap and caught two Superintendents and three Inspectors while demanding and taking a bribe of Rs 7 lakh from the complainant. Searches were carried out at seven locations, including the residential and office premises of the accused in Jabalpur, resulting in the recovery of Rs 83.26 lakh in cash," the spokesperson said.