Shimla, Nov 27: The CBI arrested two officers of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and a consultant on Wednesday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh.
The accused regional provident fund commissioner and enforcement officer, both posted at the EPFO-Baddi in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh, and the consultant were arrested for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10 lakh (Rs 5 lakh in cash and an equal amount in “self cheques”) from the complainant, according to a statement issued here.
The complainant has accused the enforcement officer of demanding undue advantage of Rs 10 lakh through a private consultant for himself and his senior officers to favourably settle a matter of provident fund demand of the complainant’s firm, which is pending with the EPFO office in Baddi.
It has been further alleged that the officials said if their demand is not met, the recovery would amount to Rs 45-50 lakh.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) lodged a case, laid a trap and nabbed the consultant red-handed while he was accepting the money from the complainant on behalf of the accused enforcement officer and regional provident fund commissioner, whose role emerged during the trap proceedings, the statement said.
The federal agency conducted searches at the residential and official premises of the accused at seven locations in Baddi, Shimla and Chandigarh and seized Rs 23.5 lakh in cash (approximately) and incriminating documents from the premises of the regional provident fund commissioner in Chandigarh.
All three accused were arrested and would be produced in a court. Further investigations are underway. (Agencies)
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