Upload NewsCBI Busts ₹1.5 Crore Bribery Racket at Jhansi CGST Office;
IRS Officer among 5 Arrestedby: Sudam Pendhare
Zanshi, UP (31 December 2025) - In a major anti-corruption strike, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has dismantled a high-level bribery syndicate operating within the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) office in Jhansi. The agency has arrested five individuals, including a 2016-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, for allegedly demanding a massive ₹1.5 crore bribe to settle GST evasion cases.
The Sting Operation
The arrests took place following a meticulously planned trap on December 30, 2025. Acting on a complaint, CBI investigators caught two Superintendents, Anil Tiwari and Ajay Kumar Sharma, red-handed while they were accepting ₹70 lakh in cash. This amount was reportedly the first installment of a ₹1.5 crore deal
to provide undue favors to private firms under investigation for tax evasion.
Interrogations revealed that the bribe was allegedly demanded at the behest of Prabha Bhandari, a Deputy Commissioner (IRS-C&IT) posted at the Jhansi office. She was subsequently taken into custody along with a tax advocate, Naresh Kumar Gupta, who acted as a mediator, and Raju Mangtani, the owner of M/s Jai Durga Hardware.
Recoveries and Seizures
Following the trap, the CBI conducted extensive raids at multiple residential and official premises in Jhansi and Lucknow. The results revealed wealth significantly disproportionate to the officials known sources of income:
Current Status :
All five accused have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CBI is now examining the digital records and property documents to trace the full extent of the money trail and identify if other firms were similarly extorted.
The investigation is focused on identifying additional beneficiaries and uncovering the deeper network of this bribery syndicate,stated a CBI spokesperson.
The accused are scheduled to be produced before the Special CBI Court for remand following their medical examinations.