Corruption Crackdown: Deputy Commissioner and Accomplice Arrested

In Nashik, a deputy commissioner of state tax and a private individual were arrested for accepting a Rs 20 lakh bribe. Authorities identified deputy commissioner Somnath Dattu Paage and Amit Hiraman Jadhav as the culprits. The Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau seized evidence from their office.

The Maharashtra Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested a deputy commissioner of state tax (GST) and a private individual in Nashik for allegedly seeking and accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh.

Somnath Dattu Paage, 47, the deputy commissioner, and Amit Hiraman Jadhav, 36, were taken into custody following the complaint from a businessman who claimed they demanded Rs 1.25 crore to avoid actions under GST provisions. The initial amount was negotiated down to Rs 1 crore.

The ACB laid a trap and caught Jadhav red-handed as he accepted the bribe's first instalment. Authorities subsequently arrested both individuals under the Prevention of Corruption Act and seized Rs 2 lakh in cash and mobile phones from Paage's office.

(With inputs from agencies.)