New Delhi: In a crackdown on corruption in government offices, the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) arrested two senior Income Tax officials for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 10 lakh for settling income tax return of a construction firm.

Acting on a complaint from the firm, CBI arrested additional commissioner Ulhas Trimal and assistant commissioner S M Javed of Income Tax department posted at Thane for demanding and accepting the bribe for settling Income Tax amounts, a CBI spokesman said on January 11.

Searches at the residential and official premises which yielded Rs 1.7 lakh of cash from the office drawer of Trimal and Rs 68,000 from Javed, the spokesman said and added that additional cash of Rs 1.37 lakh was recovered from additional commissioner's residence besides two kilograms of gold, 22 kilograms of silver and documents of possessing property in lakhs of rupees.

CBI had received a complaint from the proprietor of a construction firm, who alleged that the officials were demanding a bribe of Rs 10 lakh from him to settle his Income Tax returns.

The spokesman said the firm had sent a chartered accountant to the officials with a bribe of Rs one lakh, who was directed to deposit the money with another chartered accountant.

The CBI raided the chartered accountant's company and arrested one of his assistant Chandrika while accepting the bribe of Rs one lakh, the spokesman claimed.

PTI