Bribery Bust at SEEPZ: IRS Officers Arrested

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested seven individuals, including two Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers, linked to a bribery scheme at Mumbai's SEEPZ. The CBI operation uncovered substantial illicit financial connections and seized significant property and cash linked to the suspects.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has detained seven individuals as part of a sweeping bribery investigation involving the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) at the Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) in Mumbai. This major operation, commenced on Tuesday, led to the arrest of key figures, including Joint Development Commissioner CPS Chauhan and Deputy Development Commissioner Prasad Varwantkar, alongside five others.

Authorities allege that these IRS officers, along with two assistant development commissioners, were involved in leveraging their positions for monetary benefits by allegedly supporting a network of middlemen. The investigation has also prompted the seizure of documents related to 25 properties owned by Chauhan, estimated to be valued at Rs 40 crores.

In addition to these findings, the officers have confiscated approximately Rs 50 lakh from the suspects' premises, with Rs 40 lakh reportedly recovered from Assistant Development Commissioner Rekha Nair's location. As of now, there has been no response from the individuals close to those detained.

(With inputs from agencies.)