On July 29, 2025, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two individuals, including an Inspector from the Income Tax department in Vijayawada, and a tout/middleman, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹70,000 from a complainant. This bribe was solicited in exchange for not acting on petitions received against the complainant and for refraining from conducting an income tax raid.
The case registered by the CBI on the same day detailed that an officer from the Office of the Commissioner of Income Tax initially demanded a bribe of ₹5 lakh through the middleman. The complainant, who operates a mobile service shop in Ramachandra Rao Peta, Eluru, was pressured to pay this sum to avoid receiving notices related to the petitions against him.
After expressing his inability to meet the hefty demand, the complainant negotiated a final amount of ₹1,20,000—₹1 lakh for the officer and ₹20,000 for the middleman.
The CBI conducted a sting operation, successfully apprehending the middleman red-handed while he was accepting ₹70,000 from the complainant on behalf of the Income Tax Inspector. Following this, both suspects were arrested and are expected to be presented before the Honorable Special Judge Court for CBI Cases in Vijayawada.
Investigations are ongoing, and searches related to the case are being carried out as part of the ongoing inquiry.
