IAS officer, who helped distilleries fudge production figures, held

An IAS officer working in the Union home ministry was arrested on Wednesday after the CBI registered a corruption case against him. The agency also booked some excise officials and six private distilleries based in Daman.

IAS officer O Ravi has been accused of defrauding the government of excise duty and value added tax amounting to Rs340 crore with the help of the other accused. Ravi helped the distilleries fudge production figures.

Ravi allegedly went to the extent of influencing home ministry officials into transferring the chief administrator of Daman, who had smelt rat and had initiated action.

Excise inspectors Ramesh Mahyavanshi and Vijay Halpati and sub-inspector Suresh Dhodi are the other accused.