CBI nabs provident fund officer for graft

An enforcement officer of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) here was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a complainant, a Central Bureau of Investigation official said on Monday.

The accused, identified as A.B. Pahade, has been charged under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, and produced before a special CBI court which remanded to police custody.

According to the agency, the complainant was a contract labour supplier to various power industries in the region and paying Provident Fund (PF) for the employees regularly to the EPFO's Nagpur office.

Pahade had visited his offices and sought various records from him for the past five years which were provided for scrutiny.

Later, when the complainant visited Pahade at his office to enquire about the status of his PF audit, the officer allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 350,000 to clear seven years' audit without creating any hurdles.

After the complainant refused to pay the bribe, Pahade said he would visit his office to "discuss and negotiate" the amount.

Subsequently, Pahade agreed to take a cut and was ready to settle for Rs 300,000, with a first instalment of Rs 50,000.

Following the complaint from the contractor, the CBI laid a trap and nabbed Pahade as he was accepting the bribe. Later, it raided his office and residential premises to collect more evidence.

--IANS

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