Thane, Mar 10 (PTI) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught a private tax consultant while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh on behalf of a senior official of the Goods and Services Tax department in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said on Monday.

The Thane unit of the ACB laid a trap at a hotel in the Andheri area of neighbouring Mumbai on Sunday and caught the accused while taking the bribe, inspector Rupali Pol of the Thane ACB said.

Pol said a 52-year-old man approached the bureau on February 28, alleging that Tatyasaheb Dhere, deputy commissioner of GST, Palghar, had demanded Rs 15 lakh to reduce the tax liability of his business.

She said the deal was allegedly facilitated by Eknath Pednekar, a private tax consultant.

ACB officials conducted a verification operation on Saturday, confirming that the accused had sought a bribe.

Pol said that in a well-planned operation at the hotel, the complainant was instructed to place the money under a table while five independent witnesses observed the exchange.

She said Dhere, who had earlier instructed the complainant to hand over the money, left the scene before he could be apprehended, and a search was underway for him.

A case was registered against both the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, she said. PTI COR ARU

Corruption: Private tax consultant arrested after allegedly accepting bribe for a GST officer; case under Prevention of Corruption Act. A taxpayer alleged that a senior GST officer demanded payment to reduce tax liability and a private tax consultant allegedly acted as intermediary. The intermediary was arrested after accepting cash during a monitored handover witnessed by independent observers at a hotel, while the named officer left before apprehension. An investigation and actions under the Prevention of Corruption Act were initiated following verification by anti-corruption authorities.