CBI books EPFO official in bribery case related to PF claims

MUMBAI: The Mumbai unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked an official of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and others, including two employees of a state-based dairy cooperative, in an alleged corruption case related to the demand and acceptance of bribes worth several lakhs, for settling PF claims.

The CBI’s case was registered recently based on a complaint from the PF office, Kandivali East, which also alleged that in all, 67 PF claims worth ₹2.29 crore were detected to have been erroneously settled and are under scrutiny. The agency booked two employees of the dairy cooperative, apart from unknown public servants/private persons and the EPFO official, who was earlier posted at the Kandivali East unit but is now posted outside the state.

After obtaining permission from the Competent Authority, the CBI booked the EPFO official and others on Tuesday, under sections related to criminal conspiracy, bribing of public servant, taking undue advantage to influence public servant by corrupt or illegal means or by exercise of personal influence, obtaining undue advantage without consideration by public servants and abetment under the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused official was under CBI’s scanner in another case as well, according to CBI sources.

It was alleged that the accused official used to ask the two accused dairy cooperative’s employees to provide him with “kickbacks” for settlement of PF claims. One of the accused employees, while acting as a middleman, allegedly transferred collected bribes worth ₹3.53 lakh to the bank account of the accused official’s wife during 2019-21 via online transactions, the complaint said. The other accused employee of the dairy cooperative allegedly transferred collected bribe money, worth around ₹1 lakh to the accused official’s bank account via online transactions during 2019-21.