Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched an investigation against an enforcement officer (EO), working with the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), and a PF consultant for accepting cash from the officials of three private companies as undue advantage for settling their PF matters.
According to CBI sources, the PF consultant was arrested by the CBI in another bribery related case in 2023. wherein the accused along with few EPFO officers had accepted undue advantage of Rs 2 lakh for settling a PF matter related to a private company. During the search proceedings of the 2023 case conducted by the CBl Mumbai at the office of the consultant, a diary containing handwritten incriminating entries was seized.
“The said entries were related to payment of Rs 15 lakh, Rs 1.25 lakh and Rs 50,000. The probe had revealed that the entries pertained to taking bribes from the three firms for closing their pending PF matters and that the said bribe amounts had been handed over to the EO by the consultant. The CBI then got in touch with the officials of the said three companies from Nashik who informed that the accused persons had taken bribes from them and pocketed the same in lieu of settling their PF matters,” said a CBI source.
A preliminary enquiry was registered at CBI Mumbai office November 21, 2024, on the basis of three complaints, received from Nashik based private companies wherein it were alleged that cash amounts have been taken by the accused EO of the EPFO, Nashik through one PF consultant, as undue advantage for settling their PF matters.
A fresh case has now been registered by the CBI against accused persons on charges of offence relating to public servant being bribed, offence of taking undue advantage to influence public servant by corrupt or illegal means or by exercise of personal influence, offence of abetment, thereof and offence of criminal conspiracy under the provisions of Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act.
