An IRS Officer has been caught by CBI while accepting a bribe of Rs.70 lakhs. People are heavily criticizing this officer on social media because she has spoiled the reputed name of civil services and UPSC.
Prabha Bhandari, a 2016-batch IRS officer, was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Central GST in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, around six months ago. She had cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2015 and was serving continuously in the revenue department after completing her training.
On December 18, a CGST team led by Prabha Bhandari raided Jai Durga Hardware in Jhansi over alleged tax irregularities. The department was preparing a recovery case of nearly ₹13 crore. During the raid, documents were taken away in three sacks.
Soon after, the firm owner Raju Mangnani was allegedly asked to pay ₹1.5 crore to settle the case. The deal was negotiated through lawyer Naresh Kumar Gupta. Unhappy with the demand, the owner approached CBI and CBI quickly laid a trap.
When ₹70 lakh, the first installment of the bribe, was being exchanged, the CBI caught Superintendents Anil Kumar Tiwari and Ajay Kumar Sharma red-handed. During questioning, both officers named Prabha Bhandari as the mastermind.
Arrest, Raids, and Shocking Recoveries
The CBI made the arrested officers call Prabha Bhandari. During the call, she allegedly instructed them to convert the cash into gold and deliver it. At that time, Prabha was in Delhi, where she was arrested.
Searches were conducted at her flat in Jhansi for nearly four hours. The results were shocking:
- ₹90 lakh in cash
- Gold and silver jewellery
- Expensive watches
- Property documents
- Evidence of costly land purchased in her husband’s name
Later, the total cash recovered reached ₹1.60 crore. Investigators found signs that illegal money was being routed through property dealers and close associates. Raids are still ongoing in Jhansi, Kanpur, Mumbai, and other locations. A case of disproportionate assets and suspected benami properties in Delhi and Bengaluru is also being prepared.
On December 30, the CBI registered a case against seven accused, including Prabha Bhandari. She, along with the two superintendents, has been sent to judicial custody. The role of other CGST officers is also under the scanner.
People are very sad with the conduct of this officer. These officers are provided a big responsibility of serving the citizens with honesty and integrity but some of them choose wrong path of bribery.
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