The CBI is out searching for IRS officer Vinay Kumar Kantheti, who’s the Additional Commissioner of CGST in Raigad. At the same time, they’ve arrested the CGST Superintendent and a private agent connected to the same alleged ₹40 lakh bribery racket. It’s the kind of case that makes you wonder how these things keep slipping through the cracks until someone finally decides to push back.
It all started late last month. A representative from a stone-quarrying firm walked into the CBI with a complaint. According to the agency, CGST Superintendent Rakesh Kumar Sinha had demanded ₹1.5 crore to settle a GST and royalty issue involving the firm. After some back-and-forth, that figure came down to ₹40 lakh. The officials allegedly arranged for the money to be collected through a private person named Narinder Rajput, who’s been described as an agent or middleman in the matter.
CBI laid a trap. They caught Rajput red-handed while he was accepting the ₹40 lakh. After that, they moved on Kantheti and Sinha. Both officers were arrested from their offices. Searches at places linked to the three men turned up another ₹43 lakh in cash and jewellery worth around ₹90 lakh. The agency said both the superintendent and the additional commissioner later acknowledged the acceptance of the bribe amount. That’s the CBI’s version, at least.
Then the case hit a wall in the Thane special court. When the three were produced, the judge refused further custodial interrogation and called the arrests illegal. The court pointed to procedural lapses — basically saying the proper process for informing the accused of the grounds of arrest hadn’t been followed the way the law requires. All three walked out on personal bonds of ₹15,000 each. CBI wasn’t happy and took the matter up to the Bombay High Court.
On Wednesday, the High Court set aside that lower court order. It found that the grounds of arrest had been communicated and that family members and advocates had been informed. The court sent the three back into CBI custody for two days. But when CBI teams went looking, Kantheti wasn’t at home or at the office. He’s been untraceable so far. Sinha and Rajput were taken into custody for further questioning. The agency put out a short statement saying efforts are on to trace and apprehend Vinay Kumar Kantheti in accordance with law, and that the investigation continues.
Kantheti is a 2009-batch IRS officer. Sinha was working as superintendent in the same Raigad CGST set-up. Rajput is the private individual who was allegedly used as the collection point. The original demand of ₹1.5 crore being brought down to ₹40 lakh after negotiations is one of those details that sticks out — it suggests there was some bargaining going on before the trap was sprung.
These cases often move in fits and starts. First the dramatic arrests and cash recoveries, then a court finding procedural problems, then a higher court stepping in and reversing things. Right now the focus is squarely on locating Kantheti. CBI teams have been checking his known addresses and workplace, but as of the latest updates he’s not been found.
People following these matters will tell you that bribery complaints involving GST and royalty clearances aren’t rare in certain industries, especially ones dealing with stone quarrying and mining-related work. The fact that a senior additional commissioner is named alongside a superintendent raises the stakes. Whether the evidence holds up in the long run is something the courts will decide, but the High Court’s order has clearly given the CBI another window to question the accused more thoroughly.
For now, two of the three are back in custody, and the search for the third is on. The agency has recovered the alleged bribe money from the trap plus additional cash and jewellery from the searches. Mobile phones were also seized from the accused earlier. The High Court has limited the current custody to two days, so the clock is ticking on how much more the investigators can dig out in that period.
It’s a reminder of how these anti-corruption cases can get tangled in technicalities even when large amounts of cash are involved. The lower court felt the arrest procedure wasn’t followed properly. The High Court looked at the record and disagreed. Meanwhile, the main accused officer remains at large, which only adds to the questions swirling around the whole episode.
CBI has made it clear they are pursuing the matter as per law. The stone-quarrying firm’s representative who first approached them is likely to remain a key witness. As the investigation picks up again under the fresh High Court order, more details may come out about how the alleged demand was made, who spoke to whom, and how the money was supposed to move.
Until Kantheti is located, that part of the story stays open. The superintendent and the agent are already facing custodial interrogation. The next few days should tell us whether the CBI manages to close the net on the remaining officer or if this search stretches out longer.
Sources: Times of India reports dated 29 August and 16 September 2026; Hindustan Times coverage of the High Court order; India Today and Indian Masterminds updates on the arrests and subsequent developments; CBI press statements quoted in the above reports.
@Rohit Manral