GUNTUR/VISAKHAPATNAM: The CBI officials caught an Income-Tax official red-handed while taking Rs 2 lakh bribe from a trader at Tenali late on Monday night.
A CBI team from Visakhapatnam led by DSP Ch Narendra Dev conducted raids at the I-T office around 6 pm on Monday and the searches went on till midnight. The raid was conducted following information that IT official Chandrasekhar Reddy demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a trader and he was caught while accepting the bribe.
The CBI team laid a trap and as soon as the officer came out of his office to get into his car, he was caught. Later, the I-T officer was shifted to Visakhapatnam.
When contacted, senior police officers as well as the CBI officials said that CBI has every right to conduct raids on any Central government organisation/institution/department/office/employee or official belonging to the Central government services.
“It may require a consent from the State government for CBI to conduct raids on any State government organisation/institution/ department/any employee or individual belonging to the State government services. But in case of Central government employees/institutions/departments/organisations, including the public sector units, CBI does not require any consent from the State governments concerned to conduct raids as they are directly attached to the Central government,’’ a senior CBI officer told TNIE.
Why the raid gains significance
The raid comes in spite of the withdrawal of general consent to the CBI by the State government. It may be recalled here that after the TDP snapped ties with BJP, the State government withdrew the general consent given to the investigating agency to conduct raids and searches on Central government employees in the State.