Odisha vigilance on Tuesday arrested Sarita Barik, assistant commissioner of CT & GST, Bhubaneswar-IV Circle while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a local bakery shop owner.
According to sources, the complainant, who owns a food products firm, was issued a show cause notice by Barik demanding a payment of Rs 2,27,147 for the reversal of input tax credit for the 2020-21 fiscal year. Seeking leniency, the shop owner approached Barik, who allegedly demanded a bribe in exchange for exempting the fine and penalty associated with the notice.
Unwilling to comply with the illegal demand, the shop owner reported the incident to vigilance authorities. Acting swiftly, the vigilance team set up a trap and apprehended Barik while she was accepting the bribe inside her car at Madhusudan Nagar.
“The entire bribe money has been recovered and seized from the possession of Barik,” stated a vigilance spokesperson. Following the arrest, simultaneous searches are being conducted at three locations linked to Barik to investigate any disproportionate assets. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the alleged corruption.
Source #TOI
