Senior IRS officer arrested for accepting ₹25 lakh bribe

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a 2007-batch Indian Revenue Service Officer named Amit Kumar Singhal. Singhal was presently posted as the Additional Director General in the Directorate of Taxpayer Services, New Delhi. Along with him, another individual identified as Harsh Kotak, was charged with demanding and accepting ₹25 lakh as a bribe. This ₹25 lakh was a part of the payment of the total ₹45 lakh in bribe demanded from the complainant.

Earlier on Saturday, a case was registered by the CBI against the accused. It was alleged that the accused, as a public servant, had demanded illegal gratification of ₹45 lakh from the complainant. This was in exchange for providing favourable treatment from the Revenue/Income Tax Department. Further, according to the CBI, the demand was accompanied by threats of legal action, heavy penalties and harassment in case the complainant refused to comply.

Police laid a trap to arrest Harsh Kotak to catch Harsh Kotak, associate of Singhal, CBI laid a trap and caught him red-handed while accepting a bribe from the complainant on behalf of the IRS officer at Singhal’s Mohali residence. Later that day, Singhal was also arrested at his residence in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. According to the CBI, the IRS officer had assured the complainant a relief in tax matters in exchange for the bribe and had warned of “legal action, heavy penalties, and harassment” if the demand was not met. Both Singhal and Kotak were arrested and will be produced before the competent court, the CBI said.

The arrest was followed by a thorough search by CBI at multiple locations in Delhi, Punjab, and Mumbai, that were connected to the case. Officials also confirmed that the documents and digital evidence related to the bribery case were being seized and examined. Investigations by CBI into the matter are still underway.

Source: Hindustan Times