CCB arrests two informants for facilitating GST officers' 'fake raid' on Bengaluru firm

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru police on Friday announced the arrest of two more people in connection with the fake raid conducted by four GST officers on a tech solutions company and “illegally detained” its four employees for two days. 

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) apprehended Prakash Jain and Mukesh Jain from Shanthinagar on September 18 and 20, respectively. They allegedly collected Rs 1.5 crore from the complainant’s men through Hawala. 

The CCB seized 306 grams of gold from a jewellery shop in Sunkadakatte owned by one of the suspects. The arrested private persons are originally from Rajasthan. 

On September 10, the CCB arrested four GST officers — Abhishek, Superintendent of Central Tax, South Commissionerate; Manoj Saini and Nagesh Babu, Senior Intelligence Officers in the GST Intelligence Unit; and Sonali Sahay, Intelligence Officer, GST Intelligence — for conducting a fake raid on Mexo Solutions Private Limited, a private firm located in JB Nagar. 

Around 8.30 pm on August 30, three GST officers barged into a home in CV Raman Nagar. Two of them introduced themselves as GST officers, while the third posed as an official from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

The house was occupied by Keshav Tak and his friends. Over the next two days, they were “illegally confined” and assaulted by the GST officers. Tak and his friends were let go only after he arranged Rs 1.5 crore and gave it to the GST officer’s men through Hawala. 

A well-placed source said that the money was collected by Prakash and Mukesh. 

DH earlier reported about informants tipping off GST officers about Tak and his wealth. Now, the CCB has established that Prakash and Mukesh were the informants to the GST officials. 

"Prakash and Mukesh knew the GST officers well and acted as their informants. They belong to a mercantile community and knew Tak through the same links," an officer in the know said. "They knew about his company and its good financial position. So, they tipped off the GST officers." 

The CCB has recovered Rs 69 lakh from the GST officers and 306 grams of gold from Prakash and Mukesh. It has have written to the Income Tax (IT) Department to look into the Hawala transaction.