Kerala Vigilance sleuths arrest Central Tax official for accepting bribe

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) of Kerala Police on Monday arrested a senior official of the Central Tax and Central Excise while allegedly accepting a bribe from a contractor.

A VACB official said the officer was caught red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the contractor near the bus stand at Kalpetta.

According to him, the central government officer allegedly threatened the contractor that action would be taken against him if he failed to pay Rs 10 lakh and interest immediately. The officer, however, offered to exempt the contractor from paying the tax, if he was given Rs 3 lakh, the VACB official claimed.

The contractor then approached the VACB, and its sleuths subsequently laid a trap, and the officer was caught, the VACB official added.