CBI Arrests Absconding IRS Officer From Rishikesh in Rs 40 Lakh Bribery Case After High Court Custody Order:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested IRS officer and Additional Commissioner of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Vinay Kumar Kantheti from Rishikesh in connection with a Rs 40 lakh bribery case.

Kantheti had been absconding after the Bombay High Court recently cancelled a Thane special court order that had declared his earlier arrest illegal and released him on bail.

According to CBI sources, the agency had arrested CGST Superintendent Rakesh Kumar Sinha from his office in Raigad and businessman’s associate Narinder Rajput after the High Court order. However, Kantheti could not be traced at that time.

The CBI said Kantheti first travelled to Delhi by flight and then took a bus to Rishikesh. He was staying at a homestay in a remote area and had taken several steps to avoid being traced. His phone was switched off, and he was reportedly communicating with his contacts only through a messaging app.

The CBI eventually traced him using technical investigation and arrested him from Rishikesh.

The case relates to an alleged Rs 40 lakh bribe demanded from a stone-quarrying company. The CBI alleged that Kantheti and Sinha had initially demanded Rs 1.5 crore to settle a GST and royalty-related matter. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 40 lakh.

On August 27, the CBI arrested Kantheti and Sinha from Raigad after Rajput was allegedly caught accepting the Rs 40 lakh bribe on behalf of the two officers.

The next day, the three accused were produced before a CBI court in Thane. The agency sought five days of custody for questioning, but the court rejected the request, declared the arrests illegal and granted the accused bail.

The CBI then challenged the order in the Bombay High Court. On September 16, the High Court set aside the Thane court's order and directed that the accused be taken into CBI custody for two days. Sinha and Rajput were taken into custody the same day, while Kantheti remained untraceable.

Kantheti later approached the Supreme Court against the High Court's order, but his plea was dismissed.