Mumbai: The CBI Anti-Corruption Bureau on Monday arrested an Assistant Commissioner with the Central Excise Department for allegedly accepting ₹1.25 crore as bribe from a Navi Mumbai-based hotelier. The accused had offered to ‘settle’ a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the hotelier in exchange for the bribe.
According to CBI officials, the accused has been identified as Ashok Nayak, an Indian Revenue Service officer posted with the Central Excise department in Mumbai.
CBI sources said in late 2016, the hotelier received a notice from the ED asking he present himself for inquiries in connection with a case registered against him, and a second notice in April this year, asking him to come to the ED office on April 17. The hotelier could not go due to health reasons and sent a formal reply to the notice saying so. A few days later, his manager received a call from a person identifying himself as Ranjit Kumar, who claimed to be an ED officer. The man said the hotelier should meet him at the earliest, failing which he would be arrested.
A CBI officer, who declined to be named, said, “The hotelier sent his son and manager to meet Nayak in Dadar, who demanded ₹15 crore to sort the issue out. The hotelier's son and manager said such a large amount was beyond their capacity and left. A few days later, the same man called the hotelier and threatened him with arrest, after which his son contacted Nayak and met him at his Cuffe Parade office on May 3. Nayak allegedly demanded ₹12 crore, and said 25-30% of the amount should be paid within the next two days.”
The manager approached the CBI, which registered an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and laid a trap for Nayak. On Monday, the CBI arrested Nayak and his accomplice Dhananjay Shetty, who accepted ₹1.25 crore in cash from the manager near Nayak’s office.
