Pune: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Pune has arrested a State Tax Inspector for allegedly accepting a ₹5000 bribe to process a GST revocation request. The officer was nabbed at his office in Yerawada during an ACB trap operation.

The arrested officer has been identified as Tusharkumar Dattatray Mali (33), serving as a State Tax Inspector in the Office of the Joint Commissioner of State Tax, Nodal Division 2, Pune.

According to ACB officials, the complainant is a lawyer who handles GST-related cases. His client, a trader, had his GST registration canceled by the department.

In an attempt to reinstate the registration, the complainant visited the GST office in Yerawada to complete the necessary procedures. However, State Tax Inspector Tusharkumar Mali allegedly demanded ₹5000 in bribe money to facilitate the process. Instead of complying, the complainant approached the Pune ACB and lodged a complaint.

After verifying the bribe demand in the presence of witnesses, the ACB team laid a trap at the Goods and Services Tax (GST) office in Yerawada on February 4, 2025. During the operation, Mali was nabbed while accepting ₹5000 from the complainant inside his office.

Following the arrest, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, has been registered against the accused at Yerawada Police Station, Pune. Further legal proceedings are in progress. The operation was carried out under the supervision of Inspector Prasad Lonare from the ACB Pune unit.