EPFO officer arrested for allegedly seeking bribe in Jaipur
The Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau caught Sonu Maurya red-handed while he was accepting Rs 1 lakh to overlook unpaid provident fund deposits.
An enforcement officer of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Sonu Maurya, was arrested by the Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Jaipur on Wednesday. According to The Indian Express, Maurya was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh.
ACB Director General of Police Govind Gupta said the agency received a complaint alleging that Maurya demanded Rs 2 lakh. The demand was reportedly made in exchange for not registering an FIR and not freezing bank accounts of a firm that had not deposited the provident fund of its employees.
The bribery demand was verified, and the accused eventually demanded Rs 1 lakh. Maurya received the amount on Wednesday in the presence of the complainant's firm's Chartered Accountant, after which the ACB team recovered the money.
The trap was conducted under the supervision of ACB Deputy Inspector General Omprakash Meena and a team including Additional SP Manoj Kumar Gupta. The ACB stated that inquiries are being conducted regarding the role of other individuals in the case.
An FIR will be lodged against Maurya under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Investigations and interrogations are currently ongoing.