Rs 1 Crore Cash, Gold, Silver Worth Crores: Raids On IRS Officer's Premises

Piles of cash worth Rs 1 crore, multiple pieces of gold jewellery and silver and gold coins valued at Rs 3.5 crore were seized after raids on premises linked to a senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab today. The CBI seized 3.5 kg of gold, 2 kg of silver and Rs 1 crore cash during searches at the premises of officer Amit Kumar Singal, who was arrested, along with one of his associates, in a Rs 25-lakh bribery case on Sunday.

Mr Singal is a 2007 batch IRS officer and was posted as the additional director general at the Directorate of Taxpayer Services in Delhi.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation has conducted searches at various premises and recovered substantial assets and incriminating material, including approximately 3.5 kg of Gold and 2 kg of Silver, valued at around Rs 3.5 crore and cash amounting to Rs 1 crore approximately," a CBI official said.

It was revealed during the probe that the officer had properties in Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab.

"Documents of a locker and 25 bank accounts with various banks; and documents of immovable properties and assets located in Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab. The total value of all movable and immovable assets is yet to be ascertained," the official added.

A case was registered against Mr Singal by the CBI on Saturday based on allegations that the public servant demanded illegal gratification of Rs 45 lakhs from the complainant, a pizza chain owner, in exchange for extending favourable treatment from the Revenue Department.

He had allegedly demanded a total bribe amount of Rs 45 lakh to settle an income-tax notice issued to Sanam Kapoor, owner of La Pino'z Pizza, according to the CBI FIR.

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

The complainant was asked to deliver the first instalment of Rs 25 lakh to his residence in Punjab's Mohali on Saturday.

The CBI then laid a trap and caught the accused's associate, Harsh Kotak, red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25 lakhs from the complainant on behalf of the accused.

Mr Singal was arrested from his home in Delhi's Vasant Kunj the same day.

Both the accused were produced before the designated court on Sunday, which sent them to judicial custody for 14 days.