New Delhi: Rs3.5 crore cash and 5kg gold has been recovered during searches at the Kolkata residence of Jharkhand's Principal Commissioner of Income Tax in a corruption case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said. He is alleged to have favored several high networth income tax assessees by taking huge bribes from them.

The CBI on Wednesday searched 23 locations in Kolkata and Ranchi including the residential premises of Tapas Kumar Dutta and others, spokesperson R K Gaur said in New Delhi.

The searches were conducted in 18 locations in Kolkata and five in Ranchi after filing an FIR under corruption charges against Dutta and others, he said.

During the searches, the agency recovered Rs 3.5 crore cash and over 5kg of gold (about Rs1.4 crore according to current bullion rate) from the residence of Dutta, Gaur said, adding several incriminating documents were also seized.

It is alleged that Dutta during 2016-17 entered into criminal conspiracy with three other officials of the Income Tax department and Kolkata-based businessmen and entry operators, he said.

Text messages sent to Dutta seeking his reaction remained unanswered.

"In pursuance of the conspiracy, Dutta allegedly took huge illegal gratification from the businessmen through a chartered accountant to get the income tax assessment files of different assesses transferred from Kolkata/Hazaribagh to Ranchi," Gaur said.

It was allegedly done to provide undue favors to these tax assessees who were charged with heavy tax liabilities in return for illegal gratification, he said.

Dutta had already issued orders abusing his official position, the spokesperson said.

The CBI recently registered a case against Dutta, Arvind Kumar, Additional Commissioner Income Tax, Income Tax Officer (Tech) Ranjit Kumar Lal, one more Income Tax officer, and chartered accountant Pawan Maurya.

Bishwanath Agarwal, Kolkata-based businessman and director of Anchal Vyapar, private persons Santosh Chaudhary, Santosh Shah, Akash Agarwal, Arvind Agarwal have also been booked in the FIR filed under charges of criminal conspiracy and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.