Hyderabad: Two inspectors working in the Customs and GST department were arrested by the Malkajgiri police on Wednesday on charges of extortion from a businessman who was smuggling banned tobacco products from Bidar in Karnataka.
The Rachakonda police said that two more inspectors and two contingent assistants working at Moul Ali branch of Customs and GST office are absconding and a search is on to nab the four.
On Monday evening, Customs and GST officials who had information about the smuggling of tobacco products in a lorry, intercepted the vehicle and threatened to book a case against its owner, Bhupathi Ajay Kumar.
V. Arun Kumar, 31, M. Satheesh, 30, Dinesh and Laxmi Narayana, along with two contingent assistants Chander and Jeevan demanded Rs 10 lakh from Ajay to leave him. “The officials negotiated and accepted Rs 2.2 lakh,” said a senior official. They later called Ajay and threatened him and he filed a complaint with the Malkajgiri police.
