New Delhi, Dec 23 (PTI) The CBI has arrested a Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) superintendent in Mumbai for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a private company after threatening the firm with a tax demand of Rs 98 lakh, officials said Tuesday.

Ankit Aggarwal, posted as Superintendent in CGST-1, Mumbai made a demand of Rs 20 lakh from the company but during negotiations he dropped it to Rs 17 lakh and sought immediate part payment of Rs 5 lakh to be delivered on Monday, they said.

The director of the company approached the CBI with a complaint on Monday following which the agency registered a case and planned a trap operation at the location where bribe was to be paid, the officials said.

"The accused superintendent CGST carried out an audit of the complainant's company on November 26, 2025. It was alleged by the complainant that the accused had threatened to fabricate a tax demand of Rs 98 lakh against the private company and demanded Rs 20 lakh as bribe to "settle" the issue," a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson said Aggarwal was caught by the CBI red-handed while accepting Rs 5 lakh as part payment of the bribe.

"Searches were conducted by the CBI at the residence of accused at Mumbai which led to recovery of unaccounted and unexplained cash of Rs 18.30 lakh. Deeds for purchase of a property worth Rs 40.315 lakh dated April 2025 and another property worth Rs 32.10 lakh dated June 2024 were found during the search," the spokesperson said.

The CBI also conducted searches at the office of Aggarwal and digital evidences were seized regarding the audit report being prepared by him for the private company. PTI ABS KVK KVK

CGST official arrested for allegedly soliciting and accepting a bribe after threatening to fabricate a tax demand. A CGST officer is alleged to have audited a company, threatened to fabricate a Rs 98 lakh tax demand, demanded Rs 20 lakh to settle the matter, accepted a Rs 5 lakh part payment and was apprehended in a trap; subsequent searches recovered unexplained cash, property deeds and digital evidence related to the audit.