Mumbai, July 26: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a customs official in Mumbai on charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 80,000 from a complainant.
A case was registered by the CBI against the accused Kumar Saket, Superintendent of Customs, posted at Courier Cell, International Courier Terminal, in Mumbai's Andheri East on allegations that the complainant had imported some machine parts from China, which reached the terminal through a courier firm.
It was also alleged that when the complainant met the accused, he told him that he had to pay an anti-dumping duty of Rs 2.8 lakh for the release of the consignment imported by him.
Thereafter, Saket allegedly asked the complainant to pay him an undue advantage of Rs 1.4 lakh, 50 per cent of the anti-dumping duty and assured him that he would clear the consignment without paying the anti-dumping duty if he paid the bribe.
It was further alleged that the complainant was unable to pay Rs 1.4 lakh as a bribe to the accused but later, the accused reduced the amount to Rs 1 lakh and after further negotiations, the amount was reduced to Rs 80,000.
The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused officer while accepting the undue advantage of Rs 80,000 from the complainant at his office.
Thereafter, the accused was arrested by the CBI.
A search was conducted by the CBI at the residential premises of the accused at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai. The customs official was produced before a court in Mumbai and was remanded to three days of police custody.
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