Chennai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against two income tax officials and a private company partner for demanding and accepting a Rs 9 lakh bribe to evaluate an industrial property in Ambattur.According to the FIR, Sanjay Bapurao Chinchghare, the then district valuation officer, income tax department, Chennai, and D Manjunathan, then assistant valuation officer-I, allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with Subhash Chander Rana, partner of AKS Engineering Company, Tiruvallur.The officials allegedly demanded Rs 9 lakh from Rana in return for issuing a favourable valuation report for his company’s property at SIDCO Industrial Estate, Ambattur. The property, comprising land and a building, was referred to the income tax valuation cell by the National Faceless Assessment Centre (NFAC), New Delhi, in 2023.Rana met Chinchghare at the latter’s residence in Chennai following NFAC’s reference and allegedly demanded Rs 9 lakh in the presence of Manjunathan. Later that evening, Manjunathan received Rs 9 lakh from Rana at a hotel in Ashok Nagar for issuing the favourable preliminary valuation report, the CBI has recorded in the FIR.Chinchghare is presently working as superintending engineer (planning) with the CPWD at Rajaji Bhavan, while Manjunathan is presently working as assistant engineer at the Regional Training Institute, KK Nagar.
