What happened
On May 20, 2026, the CBI arrested a Superintendent and an Inspector from the Central Goods and Services Tax office in Giridih, Jharkhand, for demanding ₹90,000 from a businessman to ‘resolve’ an Input Tax Credit mismatch — a standard administrative task, performed gratis under the GST Act, but apparently ripe for private repricing. The officials reportedly threatened to cancel the complainant’s GST registration if payment was declined, which is one interpretation of ‘taxpayer services.’ The CBI laid a trap and caught both officers accepting ₹50,000 as a first installment, demonstrating that India’s tax collectors have at least adapted well to the EMI economy. Searches of their offices and residences are ongoing, and the CBI is investigating whether anyone else in the informal-GST-resolution sector needs to be audited.