Hyderabad: Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, the commissioner of income-tax (exemptions), Hyderabad, had received a ₹2.5 crore worth flat in Mumbai as a bribe. He was one of the five persons, whom the CBI had arrested on Saturday.According to CBI officials, Lavidiya got the bribe as he was dealing with an appeal of NDW Development Corporation LLP, Mumbai. The flat belonged to Aviation Hotels, a group company of NDW Development Corporation LLP. Lavidiya got the flat registered in the benami name of Dandela Venkateswarlu, resident of Khammam district, and kept the sale deeds in his custody. Lavidiya is a native of Khammam district. The property registration was done through the middlemen on behalf of Lavidiya. Lavidiya also holds additional charge as commissioner of income-tax (Appeals, Units 8 and 7), at the office of the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax, Hyderabad. According to sources, Ladiviya was also dealing with a taxation appeal pertaining to Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Mumbai, and demanded `1.2 crore as a bribe from Viral Kartilal Mehta, DGM (taxation), Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Mumbai, to decide the matter in favour of Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Gujarat Private Ltd., Vadodara. The company has since said that it was not aware of this transaction. “The SP Group has been made aware of a serious allegation of misconduct against an employee of one of our Group Company subsidiaries. The alleged conduct was not with the knowledge of the Group, nor was it sanctioned by it. In fact, this goes against the very values and policies that the Group upholds in its business operations,” the company said in a statement on Saturday. Lavidiya’s middlemen had already collected `15 lakh in this deal. The collected bribe amount was deposited in the bank account of Landa Varahalu. Another tranche of `70 lakh was supposed to be delivered shortly to him, but the CBI got a tip off, which resulted in the arrest of the accused. In the bribery case, the CBI registered cases against Lavidiya, Natta Veera Naga Sri Ram Gopal of Viskhakapatnam; Sairam Palisetty, of Srikakulam; Rayapureddy Narendra, accountant from Hyderabad’ Dandela Venkateswarlu, Khammam district; Landa Varahalu, Visakhapatnam; Viral Kantilal Mehta, DGM (taxation), Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Mumbai; Sajida Majhar Hussain Shah, Chembur, Mumbai; Prakash Shambaji Pawar. Chembur, Mumbai, NDW Development Corporation LLP, Mumbai; Ventura Securities Limited, Thane, Maharashtra’ Nitin Anandarao Shitole, Mumbai; Hemantkumar Rajendrakumar Shah, Ahmedabad; and Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Gujarat Pvt. Ltd, Vadodara.
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