Income Tax Officer threw phones into Sabarmati river to help colleague in bribe case, arrested: CBI

Ahmedabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested an Income Tax official for allegedly helping his colleague escape during a trap laid by the Gujarat Anti Corruption Bureau in October last year in connection with a bribery complaint.

A release by the CBI on Monday said then Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, Ahmedabad, Vivek Johri was arrested for allegedly helping IRS officer Santosh Karnani, then Additional Commissioner of Income-Tax, to escape during a trap laid on October 4.

The trap was laid after city-based builder Rupesh Brahmbhatt approached the Gujarat ACB claiming Karnani had sought Rs 30 lakh as bribe for not taking action against him, an official said.

“When the ACB team reached the Income Tax office on Ashram Road to arrest Karnani after recovering Rs 30 lakh as part of the trap proceedings, Johri allegedly created ruckus which helped Karnani to flee from the spot,” said the release.

The Gujarat government subsequently handed over the probe to the CBI, which registered an FIR on October 12.

Karnani, before escaping, had handed over two mobile handsets to Johri, who threw them into the Sabarmati River to destroy evidence, the CBI release said.

Both the mobile phones were recovered from the river with the help of divers and other agencies using diving equipment and a remotely operated vehicle equipped with SONAR technology, said the release.