CBI arrests IRS officer for attempt to extort tricity pizza chain owner
In a breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer from Delhi after nabbing his middleman in Mohali for allegedly attempting to extort money from the owner of the La Pino’z Pizza chain.
Middleman came from Mumbai to collect bribe
The La Pino’s Pizza chain owner reported the matter to the CBI.
The middleman, on instructions from the IRS officer, had come from Mumbai to Mohali to collect the bribe money from the complainant.
The IRS officer was allegedly using the threat of legal action and raids as means to extort money.
Both IRS Officer and the middleman will be presented before a duty magistrate on Sunday to seek remand.
Till the filing of the report, searches were ongoing at the residence and other premises of the Mohali-based IRS officer.
The investigation team recovered a significant amount of gold and silver jewellery and cash.
According to CBI officials, the IRS officer misused his official position to gain unauthorised access to the GST filings and financial details of the La Pino’z Pizza chain owner. Using this confidential information, the officer, in collusion with a middleman, attempted to blackmail the businessman and demanded a bribe amounting to Rs 45 lakh.
As part of their extortion plan, an initial payment of Rs 25 lakh was scheduled to be collected today. The CBI, acting on intelligence inputs, laid a trap and caught the middleman red-handed while collecting the money at the IRS officer’s residence in Mohali.
The operation exposed how the accused allegedly used intimidation tactics and threats of legal trouble to try and extract money from the entrepreneur. The arrested officer was reportedly using his connections and official resources to target business owners for personal gain.
A large quantity of incriminating evidence was recovered during the operation. The CBI has indicated that the investigation is ongoing and that more arrests or revelations may follow in connection with the case.
The franchise of La Pino’z is based in Zirakpur and spread it wings starting from Chandigarh. It had 600 outlets across the country as per data till May 2024.
Chandigarh