Chandigarh: Investigation conducted by the Anti Corruption Bureau Haryana in a criminal case registee revealed that there existed a well-organized nexus of public servants of the department including some senior officials who were paid hefty amounts on a monthly basis to keep the racket going. As part of this scam, a preferred list of transporters was circulated amongst the officials on duty for roadside checking to allow them to escape the required tax payment in return for a consideration. Middlemen acted as touts in the collection of bribes from the transporters and passed it on to the public servants.
Stating this here today, a spokesman of the Bureau informed that a case FIR No. 408/22 was registered against public servants of Excise & Taxation department of Palwal and Faridabad on charges of collecting bribes from certain transporters for letting them off from checking thereby letting them evade payment of tax. One of the senior functionaries, namely, Dheeraj Garg the then Additional Excise and Taxation Commissioner has been found involved in the racket of obtaining bribes for a consideration. The investigation has revealed that he has hidden his ill-gotten wealth in a number of shell companies opened on fictitious addresses and has purchased properties in and around Delhi and Haryana in benami names.
Searches conducted by the ACB teams at 22 locations have revealed properties and companies purportedly owned by the public servant Dheeraj Garg with an investment of approx. Rs 46 crores obtained as a result of illegal gratification. The properties include residential and commercial premises purchased in the name of shell companies opened by the accused public servant in a clandestine manner in benami names and through front men out of the bribe money obtained by him in connivance with the private persons and the transporters. The raids have also revealed creation of fictitious sale deeds for channelizing illegal funds. The accused public servant has been found residing in properties in Panchkula and Gurgaon purchased in the name of shell companies worth crores of rupees.
Incriminating documents and electronic evidence has been seized relating to the involvement of the accused in the criminal case and the deployment of illegal funds obtained in conspiracy with other co-accused. Dheeraj Garg is being questioned for his role as well the role of other public servants and private persons whose roles have surfaced in the matter in obtaining illegal gratification and deployment of those funds in fictitious companies/ firms. Further investigation is in progress.
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