In a significant anti-corruption action, Somnath Dattu Page and Machhindra Vitthal Donde, officials of the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) have arrested two senior SGST officers in Nashik for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹1 crore to settle a tax investigation.
An intermediary, Amit Hiraman Jadhav, was also arrested in connection with the case.
According to investigators, the arrests were made on March 6 after a businessman approached the ACB with a complaint alleging that the officers had demanded a substantial bribe to close an ongoing GST inquiry against him. Acting on the complaint, the anti-corruption agency laid a trap and caught Jadhav while he was accepting ₹20 lakh in cash on behalf of the officials. During subsequent searches, authorities also recovered an additional ₹2 lakh from the residence of Page.
Following their arrest, the three accused were produced before a local court in Nashik, which remanded them to police custody until March 9 to facilitate further investigation. Officials said additional searches and questioning are underway to determine whether more individuals were involved in the alleged bribery network.
The incident has once again raised concerns about corruption within the tax administration system, with experts and industry stakeholders calling for stronger oversight and reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in GST enforcement across Maharashtra.
