Visakhapatnam: The CBI, Visakhapatnam, arrested Income Tax Officer, Ward-5, B Srinivasa Rao for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from a complainant on Tuesday. Srinivasa Rao sought the bribe for dropping proceedings against the complainant in respect of capital gains from the sale of an immovable property.
The CBI team carried out searched at the officer’s house and recovered several incriminating documents as well as Rs 2.03 lakh cash. Superintendent of Police, CBI, Vizag Branch, R. Gopala Krishna Rao, said that the complainant had given his plot for development to a builder but the work has not yet been completed and he is yet to receive his share of 12 flats.
Srinivasa Rao, gave notices to Rao asking for records. He also offered to close the matter without proceeding further if he was given Rs 1.5 lakh. On December 1, the I-T officer reiterated his demand but the complainant sought some timedue to demonetisation.
The CBI officer said that when the complainant failed to arrange kick-back, Srinivasa Rao called him over the phone and agreed to accept the money in five instalments and asked him to pay Rs 30,000 on December 27.
Fed up with the harassment, the complainant has lodged a complaint with the CBI and after verifying the facts, the CBI team laid a trap and caught Srinivasa Rao when he was accepting the bribe on Tuesday. The tainted officer was arrested and sent to remand on Wednesday.
