Mumbai: CBI launched a search for IRS officer Vinay Kumar Kantheti, additional commissioner of Central Goods and Services Tax, and arrested his superintendent and an agent on Wednesday, hours after the Bombay high court set aside a special CBI court order that had declared their arrests illegal and granted them bail in a Rs 40 lakh bribery case last month.All three were arrested on Aug 27, but the sessions court released them on bail, ruling that their arrests were illegal as they had not been informed of the grounds for arrest. CBI had challenged the order in the High Court.CBI said the high court, after examining the record, found that the grounds of arrest had been communicated to the three accused and their family members and advocates were informed.Following the high court order on Wednesday, CBI arrested superintendent Rakesh Kumar Sinha and then Narinder Rajput.CBI sources said Vinay Kumar Kantheti’s home and office, but he was untraceable.CBI last month arrested Kantheti, Sinha and an agent who allegedly accepted a Rs 40 lakh bribe on behalf of the two officers from a businessman to settle a GST and royalty matter. The officials had initially demanded Rs 1.5 crore, which CBI verified before registering a case. The demand was later reduced to Rs 40 lakh.CBI said verification of a complaint by a stone-quarrying firm’s representative confirmed that Sinha and Kantheti were allegedly involved in demanding a bribe to settle a GST issue concerning the firm. Sinha allegedly reduced the amount after negotiations.CBI issued a press release on Wednesday saying, “ Pursuant to the High Court order, Rakesh Kumar Sinha and Narinder Rajput have been taken into CBI custody for custodial interrogation. Efforts are being made to trace and apprehend Vinay Kumar Kantheti, Additional Commissioner, CGST, in accordance with law.”CBI said that the Bombay high court allowed the CBI’s revision, quashed and set aside the order of the special court and remanded the accused persons to two days’ CBI custody.
