Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance today arrested Binay Bhusan Tripathy, Assistant Commissioner of the CT & GST Enforcement Unit, Jajpur Road, along with two associates, on charges of bribery, tax evasion, and causing financial loss to the government.

The arrest follows an incident on May 7, when Tripathy intercepted a goods vehicle carrying 22,240 kg of MS scrap worth approximately Rs 8,89,600 at Revena, Jajpur. The vehicle was detained at a roadside eatery along the National Highway, where Tripathy allegedly contacted the vehicle owner, demanding a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh for the release of the vehicle.

When the bribe was not paid, Tripathy, in violation of GST laws, sold the entire scrap to another dealer, collecting only a nominal tax and misappropriating an estimated amount of Rs 5,85,356. He is also accused of extorting large sums of money from various transporters and suppliers by flouting GST rules.

The ongoing Vigilance investigation has uncovered that Tripathy was allegedly depositing the bribe money into various bank accounts under the names of his family members, converting these funds into fixed deposits. One such account opened in the name of his father Madhab Tripathy has come under scrutiny.

During questioning, Tripathy denied any knowledge of the account and the regular cash deposits being made. The account passbooks and other related documents have been seized.

The two other arrested individuals are Jyoti Pattnaik, who falsely claimed ownership of the intercepted goods, and Md. Golam Sad, a scrap dealer who received the misappropriated goods.

Further investigations by the agency were underway.