Ahmedabad, Oct 26 (PTI) Nearly two weeks after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer accused of taking a bribe of Rs 30 lakh from a builder here is yet to be traced.
Santosh Karnani, posted here as Additional Income-Tax Commissioner, was accused of taking bribe from city-based builder Rupesh Brahmbhatt.
“Karnani, a native of Rajasthan, is still absconding and has not joined our investigation,” said S S Bhadoriya, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Anti Corruption Bureau, CBI.
Brahmbhatt had earlier approached the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on October 3 with his complaint.
The Income Tax Department had conducted searches at his offices and prepared an appraisal report which was handed over to the Central Circle-1 of Ahmedabad for issuing “demand notice”, as per his complaint.
Karnani, who took over the case, allegedly demanded Rs 30 lakh “for not doing anything which could cause huge financial loss to the complainant,” said the First Information Report.
The official allegedly asked Brahmbhatt to deposit the money into the account of `Vardhman’ at Dhara Courier, an `angadia’ service.
The state ACB laid a trap at the office of Dhara Courier on October 4 and eventually recovered Rs 30 lakh in cash deposited by the builder.
But when the ACB team reached the Income Tax office on Ashram Road to arrest Karnani, there was a ruckus and he fled from the spot.
The Gujarat government subsequently handed over the probe to the CBI and the central agency’s Gandhinagar office registered a fresh FIR against Karnani on October 12.
Meanwhile, the CBI investigation revealed that the Vardhman account with the courier service, in which the bribe was deposited, was allegedly owned by Malav Mehta.
“We summoned Mehta for investigation but he has approached the Gujarat High Court to get anticipatory bail,” said deputy SP Bhadoriya. PTI PJT PD KRK KRK
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