CBI Raids IRS Officer’s Properties in Asset Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday conducted searches at 11 locations across Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Gandhinagar in connection with an alleged disproportionate assets case against Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Santosh Karnani, a 2005 batch officer, and his wife, Aarti Karnani.

According to CBI officials, searches were carried out at residential and official premises linked to Karnani, his family members, and associates as part of the investigation. 

The case, registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, alleges that Karnani enriched himself illicitly and was found in possession of pecuniary resources disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI stated that the value of disproportionate assets held by Karnani and his wife amounted to Rs 1,31,58,291.11, representing 156.24% of their legal and known sources of income. 

It is also alleged that Aarti Karnani abetted the acquisition of these assets. The agency further claims that a significant portion of the illicit funds was used to acquire properties in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Mumbai.

“Incriminating documents and digital devices have been seized during the searches. The operation is ongoing,” a CBI spokesperson said.

This investigation follows a previous corruption case registered by the CBI in 2023 against Karnani, then posted as an additional income tax commissioner in Ahmedabad. 

In that case, he was accused of sharing confidential information with a builder to influence a favourable verdict in the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT). The CBI alleged that, in exchange, a 2,428 square metre plot of land worth Rs 3.50 crore was transferred to Aarti Karnani for Rs 40 lakh.

The earlier case came to light after the forensic analysis of two mobile phones that Karnani had allegedly given to his colleague and co-accused Vivek Johri for disposal, just before fleeing a trap laid by the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in October 2022. 

Johri was later arrested in connection with a Rs 30 lakh bribery case in which Karnani is the prime accused.

CBI officials disclosed that, during the six-month search operation to recover the phones, sonar technology was employed to locate and retrieve the devices from the Sabarmati river. 

WhatsApp chats found on the devices revealed that Ilesh Shah, director of Shree Kanhai Realty Pvt Ltd, had sent ITAT notices to Karnani and discussed legal strategies with him in return for the land deal.

The investigation continues as the agency expands its scrutiny of financial transactions and property holdings linked to the accused.

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