CBI booked 5 Income Tax officials and a CA for cheating Assessees

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a complaint against six individuals, including five Income Tax Department officials in Hyderabad and a chartered accountant, on charges of defrauding taxpayers.

Two Income Tax Inspectors and three Senior Tax Assistants have been charged with exploiting sensitive tax data to extort money from assessees.

According to the CBI, the accused public officers conspired with a chartered accountant to obtain illegal financial benefits. They are accused of exploiting information provided by the Income Tax Department about taxpayers claiming huge tax refunds. Under the guise of conducting investigations, the authorities allegedly utilised this information to contact taxpayers and threaten them with severe penalties unless payments were paid.

The misappropriated funds were subsequently moved into the chartered accountant’s accounts before being diverted to the accused authorities.

As part of its investigation, the CBI searched six locations associated to the accused in Hyderabad, recovering incriminating papers. The investigation is underway.