CBI Arrests IRS Officer for Accepting ₹25 Lakh Bribe

CBI's Anti-Corruption Operation

(Reported By Vimal Kaushik)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended Amit Kumar Singhal, an officer from the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) of the 2007 batch. He was serving as the Additional Director in the Taxpayer Service Department in New Delhi. Singhal faces allegations of accepting a bribe amounting to ₹25 lakhs. Alongside him, another individual named Harsh Kotak has also been taken into custody.

Both are accused of soliciting a bribe of ₹45 lakhs from a complainant, promising assistance with a tax-related issue within the Revenue Department. It was agreed that ₹25 lakhs would be paid as the initial installment. The CBI arrested the duo while they were in the process of accepting this installment.

Caught in the Act

Caught in the Act

The complainant reported being threatened with legal action and substantial penalties if he failed to comply with the payment. Following these threats, he alerted the CBI, leading to the registration of a case on Saturday and the commencement of an investigation. As part of this inquiry, search operations were executed at various locations associated with the IRS officer and the private individual across Delhi, Punjab, and Mumbai.

In a related incident, on May 30, the Odisha Vigilance Department conducted a raid on the Chief Engineer of the Odisha Rural Works Division, uncovering a staggering ₹2.1 crore in cash. The engineer reportedly attempted to dispose of bundles of ₹500 notes from his window during the raid. The vigilance team targeted seven locations within the state. The engineer, identified as Baikuntha Nath Sarangi, had nearly ₹1 crore seized from his residence in Bhubaneswar, while approximately ₹1.1 crore was recovered from his home in Angul.