Rs. 39 Lakh Cash Seized in GST Officer Theft Case Lies Unclaimed; CBI Steps In

A staggering Rs. 39 lakh in cash, recovered during a theft investigation at Antop Hill police station, remains unclaimed as both the complainant and accused — officers from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) department — are refusing to acknowledge ownership of the money.

The case has now attracted the attention of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is expected to initiate proceedings under anti-corruption laws.

The case began on June 10 when Umesh Yogendra Narayan, a superintendent with the GST department, lodged a theft complaint with Antop Hill police. Narayan, who resides in the Central Government Employees Society (CGS) complex, alleged that his house was broken into the previous day while he was at work. He claimed valuables worth Rs. 6.95 lakh — including cash, a laptop, and his wife's jewellery — were stolen.

However, the investigation soon took an unexpected turn. Narayan, whose wife has been living in Patna since June 2024, had been residing alone in Mumbai for over 16 months. This raised questions about his claim regarding the stolen jewellery. Further scrutiny revealed that Narayan had handed over a spare key to his colleague, Deepak Dahiya, an executive assistant in the GST department.

Although Dahiya had travelled with Narayan to work on June 9, investigators suspected he may have returned later to commit the theft. Acting on this suspicion, police searched Dahiya’s home and recovered Rs. 39 lakh in cash hidden under a bed. When questioned, Dahiya alleged that the money belonged to Narayan. However, Narayan vehemently denied any connection to the cash.

Dahiya was arrested on June 13 and granted bail shortly afterward. The GST department has since suspended him from service. According to investigators, only Rs. 5 lakh of the recovered amount may belong to Dahiya, while the rest is suspected to be unaccounted cash — possibly black money — linked to Narayan.

“It appears that Narayan may have tried to cover up the origin of the cash by filing a theft complaint, claiming the stolen items were mostly jewellery,” a police official stated.

With neither party coming forward to claim the Rs. 39 lakh, and given the suspicious nature of the funds, the case is now under the scanner of the CBI’s anti-corruption wing. Officers from the agency have begun recording statements as part of a preliminary probe and are expected to formally register a case soon.

The unclaimed cash remains in police custody as the mystery deepens around its true ownership and source.

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