CBI books 5 I-T officials, auditor for extorting taxpayers

Hyderabad: CBI has booked five Hyderabad-based income tax officials, a private auditor, and several unnamed individuals for allegedly extorting money from taxpayers by misusing official data and threatening them with penalties.
According to CBI, an internal Excel list containing details of taxpayers claiming high refunds was circulated within the IT department on June 23, 2023. Although a senior officer later ordered its deletion, two accused officials — Quamar Aulam Khan and Manish Sikrawal — allegedly retained the data for personal gain. They contacted taxpayers directly via mobile phones, raising concerns about their income tax returns and threatening them with penalties.
In collaboration with other IT officials — Gulnaz Rawoof, Kuthadi Srinivas Rao, and Mohammad Javeed — they sent emails from official addresses, instructing taxpayers to submit additional documents.
Once contact was established, the accused allegedly demanded payments under the guise of "penalties." Auditor Pulimamidi Bhagat facilitated the extortion, receiving calls and coordinating payments from taxpayers. UPI transactions ranging from ₹20,000 to ₹1 lakh were traced to Bhagat, as well as to the accounts of the accused officials and their family members, as per the case.
The FIR cites provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Indian Penal Code, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
CBI is investigating charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and corruption after receiving consent from Andhra Pradesh govt to proceed with the probe.