CBI books then IT officers for receiving bribe in 2023
One of the accused officers was arrested by the central agency in a different case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed corruption charges against two former Income Tax officers for receiving a ₹9 lakh bribe from a businessman in 2023. Sanjay Baburao Chinchghare, the then District Valuation Officer and currently Superintending Engineer at the Central Public Works Department, and D. Manjunathan, the then Assistant Valuation Officer -1, are currently Assistant Engineers at the Regional Training Institute in Chennai.
According to prosecutors, the accused officers demanded the bribe from Subhash Chander Rana, a partner in M/s AKS Engineering Company in Tiruvallur, for issuing a favorable order in the valuation of a property in SIDCO Industrial Estate, Ambattur, Chennai. The assessment case was forwarded to the Valuation Cell by the National e-Assessment Centre in New Delhi.
On January 1, 2023, Rana met the accused officers in a flat in Besant Nagar, and the bribe was agreed upon. Chinchghare insisted that the payment be made to Manjunathan on the same day, and Rana met him at a restaurant, handing over the money. The officers assured Rana that a preliminary valuation report with a backdated date would be issued shortly after the payment.
The CBI investigation began in connection with a 2023 case, where Manjunathan and a Chartered Accountant were arrested and subsequently charged. During the investigation of a property assessment case in 2023, Manjunathan observed a ₹26 lakh discrepancy in the valuation of a property belonging to Suresh Arunagiri from Anna Nagar East. A separate deal was struck for a bribe of ₹3.5 lakh to secure a favorable report for the property.
Based on specific intelligence, the CBI intercepted and arrested Manjunathan and a third individual in relation to this case.
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