Sat Mar 15 08:00:00 UTC 2025: ## CBI Books Two Income Tax Officers in Separate Bribery Cases

**Mumbai, March [Insert Date]** – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two Income Tax Officers (ITOs) on bribery charges in separate incidents.

In Mumbai, ITO S. Kumar was booked for allegedly demanding a ₹5 lakh bribe from a senior citizen to prevent the issuance of a ₹1 crore tax demand notice. Kumar, who contacted the complainant via WhatsApp, initially requested the bribe be sent through hawala channels to Delhi. After negotiations, he allegedly lowered his demand to ₹2 lakh. The senior citizen’s daughter filed a complaint with the CBI following the incident, leading to the registration of a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act on March 9th.

Separately, the CBI’s Pune unit arrested ITO R. Ranjan, based in Jalgaon, for allegedly demanding a ₹5,000 bribe to cancel a newly-allotted Permanent Account Number (PAN) card. The complainant had already submitted the necessary cancellation paperwork, but the process had not been completed, according to the CBI.

Both cases are currently under investigation. The arrests highlight ongoing concerns about corruption within the tax department and underscore the CBI’s commitment to combating such offenses.

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