CBI books Cadbury India Pvt Ltd for ''fraudulently'' availing area-based tax benefits in Himachal

The CBI has booked Cadbury India Private Limited (now known as Mondelez Foods Private Limited) for alleged corruption and misrepresentation of facts to fraudulently avail area-based tax benefits in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Wednesday.

The FIR is an outcome of a preliminary enquiry registered by the agency, which showed that the company allegedly "paid bribes, misrepresented facts and manipulated records to fraudulently avail area-based exemption benefits (Central Excise and Income Tax) in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, knowing fully well that they were not entitled to avail area-based tax exemption benefits", the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.

"For availing the same, some members of the executive board of the company, along with key managers, collectively decided to manipulate records, engage intermediaries to route bribes and cover up all those evidence that had surfaced during the internal investigation," it alleged.