Class-2 tax officer held for accepting Rs 15,000 bribe

Surat: A class-2 state tax officer was caught by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while accepting a Rs 15,000 bribe for releasing a refund to a textile trader. The trader was harassed, unwilling to pay the bribe, reported the matter to the ACB Surat unit, which then set up a trap to catch the accused in his office. The accused, Nilesh Patel (35), serves as a state tax officer (Class-2) in Unit-61 of Surat.

The Surat-based textile trader was awaiting a refund of Rs 87,000 from the govt, but despite multiple requests, Patel withheld the amount and demanded a Rs 15,000 bribe to process the release. Acting on the trader's complaint, ACB officials, under the supervision of assistant director ACB Surat unit, RR Chaudhary, laid a trap at Patel's office in Surat. Patel was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe in his office on the fourth floor of Rajya Kar Bhavan in Surat.



ACB police inspector RK Solanki and his team conducted the raid while the victim handed over the money. According to ACB sources, Patel joined the state tax services in 2013 and has worked in various offices across Gujarat. Patel holds a class-2 officer position and draws a salary of Rs 86,000 per month.

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