In a first, two female officers of the GST department were trapped while accepting a bribe by the Lokayukt special police cell in Ujjain on Thursday. The two officers, including a GST inspector, were trapped while taking Rs 3500 as bribe at the GST office in the temple city. The two have been identified as Vijaya Bhilala and Kiran Joshi. While Bhilala is an inspector at the GST office (Commercial Tax Department), Joshi is an Assistant Grade 3 Clerk. On Thursday afternoon, both were working in their office when Lokayukt DSP Rajesh Pathak arrived with his team and caught them accepting the bribe from road contractor Deep Singh Bunkar.The action taken by the Lokayukt, marking the first instance in the GST department, caused a stir. Bunkar, a resident of Mahavir Bagh Colony on Indore Road, had contracted work for cement and gravel from GR Company on Ujjain-Badnawar Road under his firm, Shri Radha Contractors. When he needed payment, he applied online for a GST number on 23rd August. However, Bhilala and Joshi demanded Rs 6,000 in exchange for providing the number. When he hesitated, they negotiated, and both agreed to Rs 3,500 for the work.Bunkar recorded their demand for a bribe and submitted it to the Lokayukt two days ago. DSP Rajesh Pathak said that the trap was conducted in a planned manner based on Bunkars complaint.  An investigation will be carried out into the case, and action will be taken against anyone else involved in this bribery scheme.

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