Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Aug 17: Odisha Vigilance officials conducted raids at five locations connected to Binay Bhusan Tripathy, Assistant Commissioner of the CT & GST Enforcement Unit in Jajpur. The searches were carried out following allegations that Tripathy siphoned off government funds exceeding ₹5.85 lakh.
The investigation revealed that Tripathy, during his tenure, intercepted a vehicle transporting scrap worth approximately ₹8.89 lakh. He allegedly instructed the vehicle owner to pay ₹3.20 lakh as tax and demanded an additional ₹2.50 lakh as a bribe to release the vehicle and the scrap material.
When the bribe was not paid, Tripathy, acting against GST regulations, sold the scrap to another dealer, collected the tax, and misappropriated the remaining ₹5.85 lakh. Further inquiries suggest that Tripathy might have similarly extorted substantial bribes from other transporters and suppliers under the pretext of tax evasion.
The searches are being conducted at multiple locations linked to Tripathy as part of the ongoing investigation.
