In a major anti-corruption operation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against five officials of the Income Tax department and a Hyderabad-based chartered accountant for allegedly extorting money from tax assessees.
The accused, including two Income Tax Inspectors, three Senior Tax Assistants, and the private chartered accountant, are facing serious charges of abuse of power, coercion, and financial misconduct.
According to an official CBI statement, the implicated officials were stationed at various Income Tax offices in Hyderabad, including the office of the CIT (DR)-II, B. Bench, ITAT, Hyderabad, the ITO Ward 12(1) at Aayakar Bhawan, and the Principal CIT (AU-4) in Kondapur. The officials are accused of exploiting confidential taxpayer data to target individuals claiming high-income tax refunds.
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Investigators revealed that the accused misused internal directives meant to identify potential tax discrepancies by sending out notices and then leveraging this information to intimidate taxpayers.
Under the pretext of hefty penalties, they coerced assessees into making illicit payments. These payments were allegedly funneled through the account of the accused chartered accountant before being distributed among the officials involved.
CBI teams conducted searches across six locations in Hyderabad linked to the accused, uncovering incriminating documents that further substantiated the allegations.
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Sources close to the investigation suggest that the officials may have operated this extortion scheme over a prolonged period, systematically targeting high-value tax refund cases.
Authorities have vowed strict action against the accused, with further probes underway to identify additional links and possible accomplices. This case underscores the growing challenge of financial misconduct within regulatory bodies and highlights the urgent need for stricter oversight and accountability in tax administration.
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