CBI arrested GST Superintendent and 2 Others for taking Bribe of Rs.25 Lakh

The Central Bureau of Investigation‘s anti-corruption wing arrested Dhirendra Kumar, the Superintendent of the Central GST’s Anti-Eviction Wing, and two others on Friday for fleeing with bribe money worth Rs 25 lakh.

Dhirendra Kumar was based in Mumbai and accepted the bribe from a detained gold trader. Amrutlal Shankhala and Baban are the other two accused.

The CBI probe, which began approximately 15 days ago, is perceived as a conflict between GST and CBI personnel. The issue involves a FIR filed on April 20 by businessman Jitendra Lunawat on behalf of his close friend Arpit Jagetia, who was allegedly detained by Central GST authorities for questioning.

During the investigation, Dhirendra Kumar allegedly requested a bribe of Rs 1 crore from Jagetia, and he was also harassed in detention for 6 to 7 hours.

Jagetia deals in the selling and purchase of gold and is facing a case in the Central GST for anomalies in transactions between Shree Bullion and other bullion market enterprises.

As alleged by the complainant, Dhirendra Kumar took Jagetia “forcefully” into custody from Sarafa Bazar in the Kalba Devi area on April 20. According to the FIR, after 6 to 7 hours of questioning, Dhirendra Kumar threatened to imprison Jagetia and asked him to pay Rs 1 crore to avoid jail.

According to Lunawat, Jagetia contacted him about 8 p.m. on the same day and told him about the entire episode. In an attempt to assist his friend, Lunawat told the official that Rs 1 crore was too much and would be difficult to arrange so fast, and after a lengthy negotiation, he was able to reduce it to Rs 25 lakhs.

Lunawat recorded the entire conversation, which he later used to bolster his allegation. As requested by Dhirendra Kumar, Lunawat then made his way to the Central GST office in Churchgate with Rs 25 lakh in cash in order to release his friend that day.

Before Lunawat could reach the GST office, a passing bike rider stole the bag of cash from his hands and took off. The CBI later recognised this unnamed rider as Amrutlal Shankhala based on the CCTV footage. When he was located, it was discovered that he had been evading his house since January 20.

After an investigation, it was determined that Shankhala, who owns a jewellery store in Antop Hill, is a close friend of Dhirendra Kumar. Along with Dhirendra Kumar, a second employee at his business named Baban had also vanished. The CBI is currently attempting to locate all three suspects in the case.

The CBI agents searched the homes of two GST officers who live in the same building as Dhirendra Kumar as part of their investigation. One of them, Brijesh Singh, attempted to flee the scene of the investigation when CBI agents arrived at his home. Brijesh Singh later claimed that he had run to avoid probable harassment by agents.