By IANS
New Delhi : A senior Central Excise department official posted at Rajkot in Gujarat was arrested Monday by the Central Bureau of Investigation for taking a bribe of Rs.2 million from a businessman.
In a statement here, the CBI said Additional Commissioner of Central Excise (Preventive) Ashok Meida was arrested after a middleman deputed by him accepted the bribe from the businessman in Ahmedabad in the presence of CBI sleuths.
The agency had laid a trap following a complaint by the businessman, whom the CBI did not identify, that the officer was demanding a bribe of Rs.20 million to slash the excise duty imposed upon his firm.
The CBI said Meida subsequently reduced his demand to Rs.7 million and deputed his agent to receive Rs.2 million as the first instalment.
The middleman was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe on behalf of the official, said the agency.
The CBI said it had arrested the middleman and carried out searches at the residential premises of the official.