The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested seven individuals, including two Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers, in connection with a bribery scandal at the Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone (SEEPZ) in Mumbai. The arrests were made following an operation that began on Tuesday, leading to the detention of Joint Development Commissioner CPS Chauhan, Deputy Development Commissioner Prasad Varwantkar, and five others, including two assistant development commissioners.
The accused officials allegedly provided improper benefits to middlemen in exchange for bribes. As part of the investigation, CBI officials carried out searches at the residences and offices of the suspects in various locations across Mumbai. During these searches, they recovered documents related to 27 immovable properties and discovered three luxury vehicles at the home of Chauhan, the Joint Development Commissioner. Additionally, documents related to 25 properties valued at approximately Rs 40 crore were seized from his residence.
The operation also led to the recovery of around Rs 50 lakh in cash, with Rs 40 lakh found at the residence of Assistant Development Commissioner Rekha Nair. Investigations revealed that the SEEPZ-SEZ officials were allegedly accepting bribes from middlemen for facilitating actions such as space allotments, the disposal of imported goods, and the sale of duty-free items in the market without paying applicable duties. They also allegedly favoured civil contractors in exchange for monetary rewards.
