Trap nets tax officer, assistant for Diwali bribe

A state tax officer and his assistant were caught accepting a bribe from Diwali firecracker stall owners at the Commercial Tax Office, GST Bhavan, opposite the railway station, on Wednesday.

The accused has been identified as Suresh Jadhav (54), a state tax officer, and his assistant Durgadas Jadhav (39) were arrested after accepting Rs 7,500 as an illegal fee for processing 30 government NOCs, over and above the official fee of Rs 1,100 per NOC. The complainant police inspector Valmik Kore friends, had approached the office to set up stalls and paid the official fees. Jadhav allegedly demanded extra money, which Kore refused, and he lodged a formal complaint. During grievance verification in the presence of a government Panch, Jadhav agreed to accept Rs 250 per NOC for 30 NOCs. A trap operation was immediately conducted, confirming the bribe. During the operation, the trap team seized a Galaxy S23 FE mobile and Rs 3,000 from Suresh Jadhav, and a mobile and Rs 500 from Durgadas Jadhav. House search procedures are currently underway, and a formal complaint has been registered at Vedantnagar police station. The state tax deputy commissioner, Nashik Division, has been informed, and further investigation is in progress.