Lucknow: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested two individuals, including a Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) inspector and a middleman, in connection with a bribery case involving the illegal demand of ₹6,000 for GST registration.
The accused have been identified as Vivek Kumar Singh, a CGST inspector posted at Baraut in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, and Abhishek Swami, a private individual acting as an intermediary. The arrests followed a complaint filed by a businessman, who alleged that Swami had demanded a bribe of ₹6,000 to secure a GST number for his firm. The CBI registered a case on April 7 under Section 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and immediately initiated an operation. Acting on the complaint, the agency laid a trap and apprehended Swami red-handed while he was accepting the bribe in Baraut.
ALSO READ: Call for Cyber Experts: Join FCRF Academy as Trainers and Course Creators
Subsequent investigation revealed that the bribe was being collected on behalf of CGST Inspector Vivek Kumar Singh, who was allegedly using Swami to solicit and collect illegal payments from GST applicants. Singh was identified as the ultimate recipient of the bribe, leveraging his official capacity to expedite the registration process. Despite being called in for questioning, Singh reportedly refused to cooperate with the investigation and withheld critical information. Based on mounting evidence of his involvement and non-cooperation, the CBI arrested him on Wednesday.
In a further development, CBI teams carried out searches at the residences and offices of both the accused in Baghpat and Mirzapur. During the raids, investigators seized incriminating documents and materials relevant to the case. The case underscores the ongoing efforts by the CBI to clamp down on corruption in public service, particularly in processes involving direct public interaction like tax registration.
