CBI Arrests Income Tax Inspector and Middleman in Rs. 70,000 Bribery Case in Vijayawada. 

Vijayawada:

In a major crackdown on corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) yesterday arrested an Income Tax Inspector based in Vijayawada and a private individual acting as a middleman, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 70,000 from a local businessman.

According to an official statement from the CBI, the agency registered a case on July 29, 2025, following a complaint received from a resident of Eluru, who runs a mobile service shop in Ramachandra Rao Peta. The complainant alleged that an officer from the office of the Commissioner of Income Tax had initially demanded a bribe of Rs. 5 lakh through a tout to avoid initiating action based on certain petitions filed against him. The bribe was purportedly demanded in exchange for not issuing income tax notices and not conducting a raid on his business premises.

After the complainant expressed his inability to pay such a large sum, the amount was allegedly negotiated down to Rs. 1.20 lakh—Rs. 1 lakh for the Income Tax Inspector and Rs. 20,000 for the middleman. The CBI, acting swiftly on the complaint, laid a trap and apprehended the middleman red-handed while he was accepting Rs. 70,000 as part of the bribe amount on behalf of the tax official.

Following the successful operation, both the Income Tax Inspector and the tout were arrested. The duo will be produced before the Special Judge for CBI Cases in Vijayawada. In connection with the case, CBI teams are also conducting searches at various premises linked to the accused.

The investigation into the case is currently underway.

The arrest marks another step in the CBI’s ongoing efforts to root out corruption in public offices and ensure accountability in government institutions.