In a 24-hour operation that lasted till Sunday, the Central Bureau of Investigation busted a large network of businessmen and chartered accountants that allegedly bribed senior income-tax officials for tax relief.
CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said four persons had been arrested and over Rs. 1 crore seized during searches in Mumbai and Chennai. The arrested have been identified as Salong Yaden, Joint Commissioner, Income Tax, Chennai; Sanjay Bhandari and Shreyas Bhandari, chartered accountants; and Hitesh Kawad, managing director of the Chennai-based real estate firm SPG & RG. “Several other income tax officials in Mumbai and Chennai are under the scanner,” Ms. Prasad said.
The agency seized 16 laptops, communication devices and property papers.
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“The chartered accountants were allegedly operating as middlemen for bribing I-T officials on behalf of the businessmen. An associate of the two arrested chartered accountants, Devendra Mehta, is being questioned. About Rs. 55 lakh was seized from his premises,” said another official.