Two customs officers arrested in duty evasion scam in Panaji

Two customs and central excise officers have been arrested by the CBI in connection with a tax evasion scam in Panaji that also saw arrest of Adani Group MD Rajesh Adani in Gujarat.

Both the senior officers were apprehended from their residences in Goa yesterday and now would be taken for a remand in a local court, superitendent of police (CBI)(ACB) SS Gavli told PTI today.

"The excise officers arrested are currently in services and were involved in the scam that took place sometimes during 2006-07," he said.

The accused are among the ten excise officials under suspicion in conenction with the scam running into crores.

Rajesh Adani was arrested last week in Gujarat and was was bailed out by a local court little before he was brought to Goa on transit remand.

The CBI's Anti Corruption Bureau in Goa had received the complaint in 2008 which claimed excise evasion on the three consignments of naphtha and furnace oil. Besides this, the accused had stored the material in the state despite requisite licence for the same had expired.

The scam was calculated to the tune of Rs1.07 crore of which Rs88 lakh were in the form of excise tax evasion and rest in warehousing facility. The central agency has also booked a case against two firms Ganesh Benzoplast, Mumbai, a clearing house firm, and JAF Leitao and Sons, Goa.

CBI had booked a case under section 120-B read with 420 of IPC and section 13 (2) read with 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.