Sometimes, a single phone call can change the entire course of an investigation.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), that call turned out to be the most decisive piece of evidence against Prabha Bhandari, a 2016-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and deputy commissioner posted with the Central GST (CGST) department in Jhansi.
The case began when CBI teams allegedly caught CGST superintendents Anil Tiwari and Ajay Kumar Sharma red-handed at the Jhansi CGST office while accepting ₹70 lakh in cash — said to be the first instalment of an agreed ₹1.5-crore bribe.
Interrogation breaks the silence — then comes the ‘speakerphone call’
Soon after their arrest, both officers reportedly broke down during questioning and, as per CBI officials, named their superior — Deputy Commissioner Prabha Bhandari — as the mastermind behind the deal.
But investigators wanted more than confessions; they wanted direct, irrefutable evidence.
That was the turning point.
CBI officers asked one of the arrested superintendents to call Bhandari — on speakerphone — right in front of them.
The phone rang twice. She answered.
The superintendent said: “The party has delivered ₹70 lakh.”
According to investigators, the reply was instant — and incriminating. Bhandari allegedly responded:
“Very good — convert the cash into gold and hand it over to me.”
The entire conversation was recorded. For the CBI, it became the “smoking gun” that tied together the alleged conspiracy.
Arrest in Delhi, late-night searches in Jhansi
At the time of the call, Bhandari was reportedly in Delhi. A CBI team moved quickly and arrested her there, while another team reached her locked flat in Jhansi and conducted a search that continued for nearly four hours.
During the raids, officials recovered cash, gold, jewellery and property documents.
Investigators also confirmed that Bhandari’s husband is an Army colonel.
Where it all began
The trail leads back to December 19, when a CGST team led by Bhandari raided Jai Durga Hardware in Jhoken Bagh, Jhansi, over suspected tax irregularities. Officials believed that a tax demand of around ₹13 crore could be raised based on seized documents.
Investigators allege that a “backdoor settlement” was soon proposed — pay ₹1.5 crore, and the case would be “managed.” Negotiations were allegedly routed through advocate Naresh Kumar Gupta and reached the firm’s proprietor Raju Mangtani.
What the accused did not know: CBI was already watching — and eventually laid the trap.
Four arrests, ₹1.6 crore seized — probe widens
So far, the CBI has arrested:
- Superintendent Anil Tiwari
- Superintendent Ajay Kumar Sharma
- Firm owner Raju Mangtani
- Advocate Naresh Kumar Gupta
Subsequent searches yielded another ₹90 lakh, taking the total cash seizure to ₹1.6 crore, along with gold, silver and multiple property papers.
A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and investigators say the probe may now expand to identify possible wider links and the role of other officials.
Message is clear: “Turn cash into gold” — and the case turned against them
For CBI officers, the recorded phone call remains the most crucial element — a glimpse, they say, into how the alleged bribery mechanism worked:
Collect cash. Convert it into gold. Pass it up the chain.
All allegations remain subject to court proceedings, and the investigation continues.
But for now, investigators believe a simple phone call became the turning point in an alleged ₹1.5-crore corruption racket.
