Over 1 Kg Gold Seized from Odisha GST Officer’s Bank Locker

Bhubaneswar: Vigilance sleuths discovered over one kilogram of gold, including 19 gold biscuits from the bank locker of a GST-commercial tax officer of Paradeep, who was earlier caught while accepting bribe.

This Paradip-based GST officer named Chittaranjan Mohanty was caught red handed by Odisha Vigilance on March 31 while accepting bribe worth Rs 80,000 from a complainant to release his seized documents and to furnish closure report of CT & GST case against the complainant.

Two lockers of Mohanty and his wife at Bank of Maharashtra and Punjab and Sind Bank in CDA, Cuttack were explored by the vigilance officials. Gold jewellery weighing 1.060 Kg including 19 gold biscuits of 24 carat weighing 433 gms (market price of 19 gold biscuits about Rs.26 lakhs) was recovered from the two lockers. Total gold weighing 1.135 Kg including 1.060 Kg from the two lockers worth Rs.64 lakhs was found in the possession of the GST official.

Added to it, Rs 5.4 lakh cash was found from a locker at Bank of Maharashtra. Total cash of Rs 6.59 lakh was seized that included cash found from locker Rs 5.4 lakh and Rs 1 lakh from office almirah of Mohanty.

Mohanty has been remanded to judicial custody till April 13. Further inquiry is on.