Jaipur, Nov 4 (IANS) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested an Enforcement Officer of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh in Jaipur.
The accused, identified as Sonu Maurya, was caught during a trap operation conducted by the ACB’s Jaipur City-IV unit.
According to ACB Director General Govind Gupta, the complainant had approached the bureau alleging that Maurya had demanded a bribe of Rs 2 lakh to avoid registering an FIR against him over the non-deposit of Provident Fund (PF) contributions for employees of his firm.
The officer had also allegedly threatened to freeze the firm’s bank accounts.
Following the complaint, the ACB verified the bribe demand and confirmed that the accused had demanded Rs 1 lakh. On Wednesday, the accused accepted Rs 1 lakh in bribe money in the presence of the complainant’s firm’s Chartered Accountant (CA).
The ACB team recovered the amount and arrested him on the spot. The operation was conducted under the supervision of ACB Deputy Inspector General Omprakash Meena by a team led by Additional Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Jaipur City-IV unit.
The bureau is also investigating the possible involvement of other persons in the case.
Under the supervision of ACB Additional Director General of Police Smita Srivastava and Inspector General of Police S. Parimala, the accused is being questioned, and further legal proceedings are underway.
The ACB has registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The bureau also stated that anyone who learns that a case has been registered against them can approach the ACB through the prescribed procedure to seek information about the case and present their explanation.
The bureau examines the facts and any clarification submitted before taking further action in accordance with the law.
The ACB has urged citizens to report corruption through its 24-hour toll-free helpline 1064 or WhatsApp helpline 94135-02834.
The bureau said it would extend assistance to ensure that people’s legitimate work is completed.
–IANS
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