4 GST officers conduct fake raid, arrested for extortion from bizman

Four GST officers, including a woman, have been arrested by Byappanahalli Police for allegedly extorting Rs 1.5 crore from a businessman. On Wednesday, officers from the Central Crime Branch (CCB) announced the arrests of several individuals affiliated with the Director General of GST Intelligence, Bengaluru zonal unit (Central GST). The individuals arrested include Abhishek, a Superintendent of Central Tax in the Bengaluru south commissionerate; Manoj Saini and Nagesh Babu, senior intelligence officers in the Bengaluru zone; and Sonali Sahay, an intelligence officer in Bengaluru.

The complaint was filed by Keshav Tak, a businessman from GM Palya, who reported that the officers posed as Enforcement Directorate (ED) and GST officials on August 31. They allegedly forcibly detained Keshav’s associates and accused him of illegal activities. The officers demanded Rs 3 crore, but after Keshav’s friend, Roshan Jain, managed to arrange Rs 1.5 crore, the officers took the money and fled, the complaint said. Keshav Tak, who operates Mexo Solutions Private Limited in Jeevan Bhimanagar, filed a complaint alleging that he was detained and extorted by GST officials between August 30 and September 1.

In his complaint, Tak reported that the perpetrators posed as officials from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and GST, claiming to conduct a raid at his residence. They then transported Tak, along with associates Pavan Tak, Mukesh Jain, and Rakesh Chandani, to Mexo Solutions office in two cars. There, they confiscated their mobile phones and allegedly assaulted them. According to Tak, they were separated into different rooms, and he was pressured to pay money.

He contacted Rakesh Jain, requesting Rs 3 crore. On September 2 and 3, Tak investigated the background of the supposed officials and subsequently filed a police report with the Byappanahalli police. The investigation revealed that, while the individuals were indeed GST officials, their actions constituted an unauthorized raid and illegal detention. The Byappanahalli Police have since transferred the case to the Central Crime Branch (CCB).