Bhubaneswar, Nov. 12 -- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested Ajit Kumar Patra, an Odisha native, for allegedly masterminding an elaborate impersonation and bribery racket in which he posed as a senior GST officer and other top government officials to extort money from businessmen.

The agency informed that Patra was caught red-handed in Rajasthan while accepting a bribe of Rs 18 lakh, following which searches across Delhi, Rajasthan, and Odisha uncovered Rs 3.7 crore in cash, over 1 kg of gold jewellery, and multiple high-end vehicles.

According to reports, the operation was initiated after credible intelligence indicated that Patra and his associate Minku Lal Jain were demanding a bribe from a Jaipur-based busin...