Retired tax officer held for fleecing truckers

HYDERABAD: A retired commercial tax officer was arrested by police as he was allegedly collecting money from goods carrier drivers, in guise of a government official.  City police said 59-year-old Gulam Abbas, a retired employee of the Commercial Tax department had been stopping and checking transit documents of goods vehicles near Shivaji bridge in Afzalgunj. “Gulam Abbas used to exploit drivers of goods vehicles who did not possess valid documents. He has been collecting money in the range of `500 to `2,000 from each driver,” additional deputy commissioner of police M Srinivasulu said. Police said Abbas used to indulge in this illegal activity in association with one Ramu alias Laddu.  It was in 1970 Abbas joined the Commercial Tax department as junior assistant and subsequently got promoted as senior inspector. Abbas got superannuated from the service in 2010. “As Abbas was in need of money, he collected money by posing as a tax officer even after he retired,” Srinivasulu added.