Senior IRS Officer Arrested by CBI for seeking bribe to settle Income Tax Case:

Senior IRS Officer Arrested by CBI for seeking bribe to settle Income Tax Case On Friday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer named Dr Amit Kumar Singal, 2007 (Indirect taxes and customs). The officer was taken into custody directly from his residential place in Delhi for demanding a bribe of 45 lakhs to settle a case regarding an Income Tax notice. Dr Amit Kumar Singal was arrested after a complaint was registered by the owner of La Pinos, a food franchise chain, named Sanam Kapoor, who filed a complaint saying he was being harassed with official notices after a business disagreement. In 2017, Kapoor had signed a franchise agreement with Harsh Kotak, a businessman from Mumbai, who was reportedly working with Singal’s mother on the same business venture. Kapoor’s lawyer, Gagandeep Singh Jammu, said the trouble started last year when Kapoor found out that Kotak was buying raw materials from other places at lower prices, which went against their agreement. Even though Kapoor could have ended the franchise contract, he was reportedly forced to buy it back for Rs 1.6 crore, more than six times the original price of Rs 25 lakh. The Income Tax and food safety departments began sending various notices to Sanam Kapoor. Jummu reported that Dr Amit Kumar Singal asked for a Rs. 45 lakh bribe for closing the Income Tax notice. Then the case was taken to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Kotak met Sanam Kapoor on May 30, 2025, in Chandigarh, and asked him to visit Dr Amit Kumar Singal's residence on the stated dates. There, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) set a trap for Kotak to catch him red-handed and arrested him on May 31, 2025, for accepting Rs. 25 lakh from Kapoor. Later in the same evening, CBI arrested Singal from his residence. The CBI confiscated gold jewellery of 2.5 kg and cash of around Rs. 30 lakhs. The investigation was led against both Kotak and Singal in Chandigarh. Singal will be taken before the duty magistrate in Chandigarh on Sunday.