A special ACB team caught a Deputy Commercial Tax Officer (DCTO) for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.1.5 lakh from a gold merchant on Monday morning.
Based on a complaint filed by M. Srinivas, owner of Srinivasa Jewellers, the DCTO, Pamula Kamla Rao, was caught while accepting the bribe amount at his residence.
Following instructions of the Deputy Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, the DCTO had inspected the jewellery shop at Kotha Road in the One Town area on February 7.
He had then seized some gold and silver articles that were in excess of the purchase bills. Thereafter, the jeweller was told to submit the relevant bills and ledger.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (ACB- Visakha Urban) K. Ramakrishna Prasad said that the DCTO had then struck a deal for Rs. 3 lakh, which was paid by the complainant.
“Thereafter, the gold and silver articles seized were released without following the due procedure. The DCTO also collected two signed blank cheques from the jeweller, which was against norms, and convinced the Deputy Commissioner to issue the assessment order,” the DSP told The Hindu .
But the agony of the jeweller did not end there.
On March 10, when he approached the DCTO for the release of the ledger and cash books, he demanded an additional bribe of Rs. 3 lakh, which was finally scaled down to Rs.1.5 lakh. Unable to bear the harassment, the jeweller lodged a complaint with the ACB. Mr. Ramakrishna Prasad said that the DCTO, who was a recipient of Pratibha award, flouted all norms and procedures. “Moreover, he misguided his superior officer to issue the assessment order,” Mr. Ramakrishna Prasad said.
The ACB is probing the DCTO’s assets. He will be produced before the ACB Special Court on Tuesday.
The official, a recipient of Pratibha award, has flouted all norms, says ACB DSP
