3 weeks ago
Sales Tax officer arrested for demanding Rs 8 lakh bribe
A tax officer in India has been arrested by the police.
The police say he asked a scrap trader for money to stop a tax investigation.
Asking for money to do your job is called bribery, and it is against the law.
The officer first asked for a very large amount, 15 lakh rupees.
After police officers pretended to be the trader's helpers, he agreed to take 8 lakh rupees.
The police then caught him in a special operation and put him under arrest.
He was working in Navi Mumbai, a city near Mumbai, when the bribe was demanded.
A case was registered at the CBD Belapur police station, and the investigation is still going on.
The police also asked people to report officials who demand bribes by calling a free helpline, 1064.
The Navi Mumbai Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Deepak Ramchandra Kshirsagar (56), Assistant Commissioner of Sales Tax, Raigad Division, CBD Belapur.
Kshirsagar allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 15 lakh, later reduced to Rs 8 lakh after 'negotiations', from a scrap trader to close a Goods and Services Tax (GST) inquiry.
The complainant, a 47-year-old trader associated with M/s Vidhi Industries, had received a GST show-cause notice under Section 73(1) dated February 8, 2025.
ACB officials posed as middlemen, conducted a verification on May 25, 2026, and carried out a trap operation; Kshirsagar was taken into custody at around 6.10 pm.
A case was registered at the CBD Belapur Police Station under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), and further probe is underway.
- Who
- Deepak Ramchandra Kshirsagar (56), Assistant Commissioner of Sales Tax, Raigad Division, CBD Belapur, recently transferred as Deputy Commissioner (Class-I), Sales Tax Department, Mazgaon, Mumbai; the complainant is a 47-year-old scrap trader associated with M/s Vidhi Industries.
- What
- Arrested by the Navi Mumbai ACB for allegedly demanding a bribe, initially Rs 15 lakh and later reduced to Rs 8 lakh, to close a GST inquiry against the trader's business.
- Where
- Navi Mumbai; the case was registered at the CBD Belapur Police Station.
- When
- Arrest reported on August 11, 2026; the officer allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh when the trader met him on May 20, 2026, and the ACB verified the demand on May 25, 2026 before the trap operation.
- Why
- The trader wanted the GST scrutiny and inquiry into his business closed, and the officer allegedly demanded a bribe to do so.
Key facts
- Accused
- Deepak Ramchandra Kshirsagar (56)
- Designation
- Assistant Commissioner of Sales Tax, Raigad Division, CBD Belapur; now Deputy Commissioner (Class-I), Mazgaon, Mumbai
- Complainant
- 47-year-old scrap trader associated with M/s Vidhi Industries (GST: 27AFTPD0970N12)
- Bribe demand
- Rs 15 lakh initially, reduced to Rs 8 lakh after negotiations
- Show-cause notice
- February 8, 2025, under Section 73(1) via GST portal
- Arrest
- Taken into custody at around 6.10 pm after a trap operation (report dated August 11, 2026)
- Case registered
- Crime Register No. 278/2026 at CBD Belapur Police Station
- Law invoked
- Section 7, Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018)
Quotes
Dharmaraj Sonke
Deputy Superintendent of Police, ACB, Navi Mumbai
“During the verification, the public servant allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh from the complainant. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 8 lakh. Based on the verification, a trap operation was conducted.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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