Sting Operation Leads to Arrests of CGST Officers Over Maharashtra Company Bribe

A covert sting operation conducted by the CBI’s anti‑corruption division resulted in the arrest of three individuals linked to a Rs 40 lakh bribery scheme involving a Maharashtra company. The operation, carried out on August 27, captured a private individual and a customs house agent accepting cash from the CGST superintendent of Raigad and the Additional Commissioner, Vinay Kumar Kantheti.

The underlying case was registered on August 26 under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Section 7, after a formal complaint alleged that the CGST superintendent had demanded a bribe of Rs 1.5 crore from a firm operating in Raigad. The amount was later reduced to Rs 40 lakh, allegedly to influence proceedings against the complainant’s business.

Following the sting, the CBI arrested the superintendent, the private individual, and the additional commissioner, presenting them before a Special CBI Court. The agency sought five days of police custody for interrogation, but the Special Court initially rejected the request, labeling the arrests illegal and granting bail.

The CBI appealed to the Bombay High Court, which set aside the Special Court’s order and ordered the three accused to two days of CBI custody, later extending it to fourteen days of judicial custody for the superintendent and the private individual. The additional commissioner, however, fled the jurisdiction and was later apprehended in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, after the High Court’s directive.