Caught on record, Customs official in Chennai booked for bribe

CHENNAI: A recorded telephone conversation of a customs officer in Chennai demanding a bribe has forced the CBI’s anti-corruption sleuths to register a case against the preventive officer functioning from Customs House in Chennai.

An FIR registered last week by the city’s CBI ACB said that Preventive Officer Manish Patil demanded a bribe of Rs 2000 to attend a file of import of goods by T Suresh of Mirthikkashree Enterprises located in AIR Nagar in Ernavur, Chennai. Suresh said in the complaint that he imported glass weighing 25 metric tons from China and reached Chennai Port on May 19 this year. The assessment was completed, and the duty amount was pending.

Suresh enquired because of a query raised in the Risk Management System. He was told that his process was kept pending because of a case pending in the court against him and his organization. He informed that the case was closed as he was acquitted, submitted all relevant documents and sought Manish to close the file.

Manish demanded Rs 2000 to do it. As Suresh was not ready to give the bribe to get his import cleared from Chennai Port, he approached the CBI-ACB with a complaint and the recorded conversation with Preventive Office Manish Patil, where he asked for a bribe.

“To ascertain the allegation, facts were verified, and the same was confirmed by the recorded conversation between the complainant and the customs officer,” said CBI in the FIR registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act last week. Though the complaint was given on June 4 by Suresh, the state government consented to register the case only on June 19, and the FIR was registered on June 20.