Maharashtra: 2 GST officials, private agent arrested for Rs 20-lakh bribe in Nashik
Mar 7, 2026
Nashik GST bribery case: Maharashtra ACB has arrested two state tax officials and an intermediary for allegedly accepting ₹20 lakh to settle a GST investigation.
The Mumbai unit of the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested three persons, including two state GST officials, for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹20 lakh in Nashik.
The accused have been identified as Somnath Dattu Page (47), a deputy commissioner, and Machhindra Vitthal Donde (55), an assistant commissioner in the State Tax (GST) office in the Nashik division. The third accused, Amit Hiraman Jadhav (36), is a private individual who allegedly acted as an intermediary.
According to ACB officials, the arrests were made after a trap was laid based on a complaint filed by a businessman who was allegedly asked to pay a bribe to expedite and settle a GST investigation against his firm.
The complainant alleged that the officials initially demanded ₹1.25 crore. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to ₹1 crore, with the first instalment of ₹20 lakh to be paid in cash, officials said.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the businessman approached the ACB office in Mumbai and filed a written complaint. After verifying the allegations, the agency registered a case on March 6 and organised a trap operation in Nashik.
During the operation, Jadhav was caught red-handed when he arrived at the complainant’s office at Damodar Chowk in Nashik to collect the first instalment of ₹20 lakh on behalf of the officials, ACB sources said.
During subsequent interrogation, the names of Page and Donde allegedly surfaced in the case. The ACB conducted searches at Page’s residence and recovered ₹2 lakh in cash. Mobile phones belonging to Donde and Jadhav have been seized for further investigation.
A case has been registered against the two government officials and the private individual under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Further investigation is underway.
[The Indian Express]
