Corruption
From Collecting to Extorting: 4 GST Officials Arrested for Rs 1.5 Crore ‘Fake Raid’ Extortion Scandal
Four GST officials were arrested in Bengaluru for conducting a fake raid and extorting Rs 1.5 crore from a businessman. The arrests came after a complaint filed by Keshav Tak, owner of Mexo Solutions, who exposed the officials for conducting the illegal operation under the guise of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and GST officers.
In a shocking development, four officers from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) department were arrested for conducting a fraudulent raid and extorting Rs 1.5 crore from a businessman in Bengaluru. These officials were caught by the Karnataka Central Crime Branch (CCB) police, who identified the culprits as belonging to the Director General of GST Intelligence, Bengaluru Zonal Unit (Central GST).
The arrested officials include Abhishek, Superintendent of Central Tax from the South Commissionerate, Manoj Saini and Nagesh Babu, both senior intelligence officers from Bengaluru Zone, and Sonali Sahay, another intelligence officer from the same unit. The arrests came after a businessman named Keshav Tak, who owns Mexo Solutions Private Limited, filed a complaint against the GST officials for detaining and extorting money from him.
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Tak’s complaint revealed that the officials posed as members of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and GST, and conducted an illegal raid at his residence between August 30 and September 1. The officials allegedly seized mobile phones and took Tak and his associates to their office. They were separated, kept in different rooms, and asked for a ransom of Rs 3 crore. However, after prolonged pressure, the amount was negotiated down to Rs 1.5 crore, which the businessman managed to arrange.
Following this ordeal, Keshav Tak conducted his own investigation and found that the raid was not authorized. On September 2, he filed a police report, which led to the arrest of the GST officials.
During the investigation, the CCB police discovered that 32 mobile phones, two laptops, and 50 cheque books were seized from the accused officers, but no money had yet been recovered. The court granted the police custody of the accused for 10 days to continue their investigation into suspicious transactions and potentially recover the extorted money.
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