CBI books Customs Official – Exposes deep rooted corruption in Customs & Excise
A Superintendent of Customs (Special Valuation Cell, Mumbai) was booked by the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly amassing wealth and property amounting to Rs. 5 Crores which is disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Initial investigation revealed that the officer allegedly owned three shops in Oberoi Mall at Andheri, one shop in Hiranandani Galleria Park at Powai, three flats at Khar and another flat worth over Rs. 1 Crore at Chembur. An amount of Rs. 3.5 lakhs in cash was recovered from his residence. CBI also found 20 bank accounts being operated in Pandey's name. A search operation was conducted in his ancestral house in UP.
A Concerned Netizen wrote to us,
“It is alleged that the officer created a HUF to show that the property possessed by him was inherited or earned through sources other than his salary. An ingenious modus operandi indeed.
If this is the kind of wealth found in possession of a Customs Superintendent at Mumbai then one can only imagine the amount of ill-gotten wealth possessed by senior officers in Mumbai, Delhi and other Customs stations across the country and the losses incurred by the exchequer by the nefarious acts of such corrupt officials.
This could be one of the prime reasons why the Central Government does not give into the demands of the officers of Customs & Excise while structuring their pay scales by the Pay Commissions. Probably the Government know that these officials can survive without even getting their salaries. A clear example encouraging institutionalized corruption. Unfortunately, because of the presence of a large number of corrupt officials in the department, a few honest officers working in the department live in abject penury. No wonder why there is exodus of honest and efficient officers from the department to private sector in recent years.
If the Government is serious enough in fighting corruption and improving tax collections, then the officers working in revenue departments have to be paid handsomely and their basic needs like housing, medical and family welfare taken care of. An Inspector working in the US Customs & Border Protection is paid on an average USD 62,000 per annum with other perks and allowances (translates to Rs. 30 lakhs per annum). Compare this with the average salary of an Inspector in Customs & Excise in India and you know why you get monkeys if you pay peanuts.”