The Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) has charged its Deputy Superintendent of Police ( DySP ) Arun Bhashkar, along with a customs officer, a GST official, and a private individual, in connection with a Rs. 20 lakh bribery case. The incident occurred while Bhashkar was investigating a corruption case involving customs operations at the Nhava Sheva port in Maharashtra.
According to The Times of India, Bhashkar, who was promoted to DySP after serving as an inspector, was tasked with probing a case registered in March 2023. This earlier case involved allegations against customs superintendent Roshan Kumar Alok and two civilians, Ashish Kamdar and Deepak Parekh, who were suspected of being part of a syndicate misusing import exemptions under the “transfer of residence” scheme.
The “transfer of residence” facility allows individuals who have lived abroad for over two years to import personal and household items duty-free or at reduced rates. Allegations surfaced that some importers were exploiting this provision by collaborating with customs officials to evade duties. A syndicate of agents at Nhava Sheva port was believed to have operated for years, recruiting new officials to facilitate their illegal activities as older ones were transferred.
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During the investigation into this syndicate, the CBI scrutinized Roshan Kumar’s role. The agency uncovered suspicious message exchanges on the phones of arrested agents Deepak Parekh and Ashish Kamdar which revealed details about bribe payments and hawala transfers to customs officials.
CBI alleges that Bhashkar abused his position during the investigation by demanding and accepting a Rs. 20 lakh bribe from Roshan Kumar. The bribe was reportedly facilitated through CGST Assistant Commissioner Yogesh Kumar and a private individual, Vijay Meware. In return, Bhashkar allegedly provided Roshan Kumar with favorable treatment in the case.
The bribe exchanges were reportedly planned to protect the customs officials implicated in the syndicate and delay or weaken the investigation. Messages retrieved from Parekh’s and Kamdar’s mobile phones detailed these arrangements, including discussions of hawala transfers to officials’ hometowns.
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The case emerged after CBI’s own DySP, Ranjeet Kumar Pandey, lodged a formal complaint against his colleague Arun Bhashkar. Pandey received a letter detailing the bribery allegations, which led to the filing of an FIR. Additional SP Pramod Kumar is now handling the investigation.
The CBI has conducted searches at various locations, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Jaipur, and New Delhi, to gather evidence. The agency is also probing the broader role of customs officials and agents in misusing import provisions.
As the investigation progresses, further revelations are expected regarding the scale of the customs corruption network and the involvement of other officials in the bribery scandal.
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