CBI Arrests EPFO Officials and Private Consultant for Bribery in Baddi (HP)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three individuals, including a Regional Provident Fund Commissioner and an Enforcement Officer from the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Baddi, Solan, Himachal Pradesh, along with a private consultant, in connection with a bribery case involving Rs. 10 lakh. The accused were found guilty of demanding and accepting a bribe from a complainant in exchange for favorably settling a pending Provident Fund (PF) claim.

The case was registered on November 24, 2024, after the Enforcement Officer, in collusion with a private consultant, demanded a bribe of Rs. 10 lakh from the complainant. This sum was to be paid for settling the PF matter of the complainant’s firm, which was pending with the EPFO office in Baddi. The accused also made threats, stating that if the bribe was not paid, the recovery amount would escalate to Rs. 45-50 lakh. The complainant, seeking justice, reported the matter to the CBI, which then laid a trap to apprehend the culprits.

During the operation, the private consultant was caught accepting Rs. 10 lakh from the complainant, which included Rs. 5 lakh in cash and Rs. 5 lakh in self-drawn cheques, on behalf of the Enforcement Officer and the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner. Further investigation revealed that both EPFO officials were complicit in the crime. Following this, the CBI arrested all three accused and presented them before the Special Judge, CBI Cases, in Shimla.

Additionally, CBI officials conducted searches at multiple locations linked to the accused in Baddi, Shimla, and Chandigarh. During these searches, they recovered approximately Rs. 23.5 lakh in cash, along with incriminating documents, from the residence of the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner in Chandigarh.

The investigation is ongoing, and the CBI is continuing to probe the involvement of other unknown EPFO officers in the case.

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