The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday made its first arrests in a case related to the alleged sabotage of the Faceless Scheme of Income Tax Assessment. Among those arrested were Vijayendra R, an IRS officer serving as Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax (DCIT), and Dinesh Kumar Agarwal, a Delhi-based chartered accountant. The CBI is also investigating two Income Tax inspectors from Mumbai in connection with the case.

According to the CBI, their investigation revealed that Vijayendra and Agarwal, along with others, contacted taxpayers facing high-value pending assessments, offering favorable outcomes in exchange for bribes. The Faceless Scheme was introduced by the Indian government to promote transparency and eliminate corruption by minimizing direct interaction between taxpayers and assessing officers.

However, the accused allegedly leaked confidential information — such as the names of assessing officers and details of cases under scrutiny — to taxpayers and solicited bribes in return. The CBI stated that the arrested individuals would be presented before the jurisdictional court.

Earlier, on February 6, 2025, the CBI carried out searches at 18 locations, including Delhi, Mumbai, Thane, West Champaran (Bihar), Bengaluru, and Kottayam (Kerala), seizing incriminating documents, proof of bribe payments, and electronic evidence.

The investigation began after a complaint from the Income Tax Department, leading to the registration of a case against a DCIT (IRS), two Income Tax inspectors, five chartered accountants, one private individual, and unknown others, for allegedly undermining the objectives of the Faceless Scheme.