Karnataka Lokayukta police have arrested a GST officer in Bengaluru for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 8 lakh through a middleman.
The accused has been identified as Mohit Pratap Singh, a GST Superintendent posted in South Commissionerate, Sub Division 04. Investigators said a trader dealing in iron goods had been booked in a tax evasion case and approached the officer seeking a resolution.
According to the complaint, the officer allegedly demanded Rs 20 lakh to close the matter despite being aware that the case was false. After negotiations, the demand was reduced to Rs 8 lakh, and the trader was allegedly instructed to hand over the money to an intermediary, Salman Shaikh.
Unwilling to pay, the trader approached the Lokayukta police, following which a case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act against both the officer and the intermediary. Acting on the police plan, the trader delivered the cash to Salman, who then passed it to the officer, leading to their arrest red-handed.
Both were later sent to Bengaluru Central Jail, officials said.
