Ahmedabad: Indian Revenue Service officer, CA couple in ACB net for bribery

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has booked an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax department in a Rs 8 lakh bribery case. A woman chartered accountant (CA) has been arrested, while her husband, also a CA, has been named as accused.

The IRS officer has been identified as Sureshchand Meena, who was working as an assistant commissioner in the Income Tax department in Ahmedabad. Meena had allegedly demanded a Rs 8 lakh bribe from a taxpayer in an assessment case.

The ACB said a trap was laid to catch him after the taxpayer approached the agency and lodged a complaint. ACB sleuths caught Namita Singhania, a CA, while accepting the bribe money from the complainant outside Dev Auram complex near Prahlad Nagar on Saturday.

Officials said Meena had asked the complainant to hand over the money to CA Sumit Singhania. Since Singhania was out of town, he asked his wife Namita to collect the money, and she was caught red-handed while doing so.

Sunil Patni, an employee of the I-T department who had allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 for helping the complainant take up his case with the I-T assistant commissioner, has also been named as an accused.

The four accused have been booked under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, he said.

DP Chudasama, assistant ACB director, said Namita has been arrested, while they are looking for the other three.