Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Nov 1: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today arrested two officials of the Income Tax Department from its office at Rail Head Complex while demanding and accepting bribe from a retired Lieutenant Colonel.
Giving details, Superintendent of Police, CBI Jammu, Armaan Deep Singh said that retired Lt Colonel Girish Chander Saxena, a resident of Talab Tillo approached the CBI office this morning with a formal complainant mentioning that two officials of the Income Tax Department, Jammu office were demanding bribe from him for releasing cheque of an amount of Rs 3 lakh.
The complainant informed the CBI that the Income Tax Department had raised a demand of Rs 2.5 lakh tax return from the complainant’s private business establishment despite the fact that there was no ground for the same and he was paying tax strictly as per exact income from his business.
Though retired Lt Colonel met Rs 2.5 lakh tax demand raised by the Income Tax Department yet he also knocked the doors of the higher authorities of the Department by filing a proper case supported by the relevant documents.
Finally, the higher authorities of the Income Tax Department decided the case in the favour of retired Lt Colonel and directed the Jammu office to make refund of Rs 2.5 lakh actual amount paid by the complainant along with Rs 50,000 interest amount.
When retired Lt Colonel approached the Income Tax Department’s Jammu office to collect cheque of Rs 3 lakh, Income Tax Officer, Hans Raj and Clerk Pritam Sharma started demanding Rs 25,000 bribe to release the cheque, the complainant told the CBI and said that he was being harassed by the accused officials during the past quite long time and was being compelled to make frequent visits to the Department’s office for extraneous considerations.
In support of his formal complaint, retd Lt Colonel produced two independent witnesses before the CBI officers and then made a call from his cell phone to the number of Clerk Pritam Sharma. The entire conversation between complainant and Pritam Sharma was also recorded in the cell phone as evidence.
“During the conversation, Clerk told the complainant that whatever money he was demanding was to be distributed among several officials and he would get only Rs 2500”, sources in CBI said, adding “as there were enough evidences in support of the complainant, SP CBI immediately deputed a team to the office of Income Tax Department to lay hands on the accused officials”.
The CBI sleuths laid a trap and caught Income Tax Officer Hans Raj and Clerk Pritam Sharma red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe. Both the officials were immediately arrested and a case under Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against them.
“The Income Tax Officer was demanding Rs 10,000 bribe while as Clerk was asking the retired Lt Colonel to pay Rs 15,000”, SP said, adding “both the arrested officials of the Income Tax Department will be produced either before the Special Judge Anticorruption, CBI cases or Chief Judicial Magistrate tomorrow to seek their remand in the CBI custody”.
In response to a question, Mr Singh said, “the retired Lt Colonel came forward with a formal complaint against the Income Tax Department officers only after the awareness generated by his interaction with the media-persons yesterday”, adding “it is imperative to spread awareness among the people about the functioning of CBI so that they could come forward and join struggle against the menace of corruption”.
Despite repeated attempts none of the officers of the Income Tax Department was available for the comments on the arrest of two taxmen while demanding and accepting bribe.
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