CBI arrests IRS officer and aide in bribery case in Delhi

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two individuals, including senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Amit Kumar Singal and his aide, Harsh Kotak, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25 lakh in the national capital.

Singal, a 2007 batch IRS officer currently serving as Additional Director General at the Directorate of Taxpayer Services, New Delhi, was taken into custody along with Kotak after receiving Rs 25 lakh as part of a total bribe of Rs 45 lakh from the complainant, the CBI stated.

The CBI registered a case on Saturday on allegations that the accused public servant demanded illegal gratification of Rs 45 lakh from the complainant in exchange for extending favourable treatment from the Revenue/Income Tax Department.

"The demand was accompanied by threats of legal action, imposition of heavy penalties, and harassment in case of non-compliance," said the investigative agency.

The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused private person red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from the complainant on behalf of the accused public servant at Singal's residence in Mohali, Punjab.

Singal was also apprehended from his residence in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

Later, both accused were arrested, said the CBI, adding that the two will be produced before the competent court.

After the arrests, CBI teams carried out search operations at multiple locations linked to the two accused in Delhi, Punjab, and Mumbai.

The agency said the operation is ongoing, and further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the corruption.

(inputs from IANS)