E-Paper
EPFO official caught taking ₹2.5L bribe sent to 14-day judicial custody
The remand papers state that Tyagi was arrested at around 6pm on Wednesday; the accused was informed of the grounds of arrest in writing, while his family was also informed about his arrest in compliance with legal requirements
A special CBI court in Chandigarh on Thursday sent an enforcement officer of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Patiala, to 14 days of judicial custody. The officer had been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly being caught red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹2.5 lakh from a complainant during a trap laid by the agency.
According to the remand application, the accused, Shubham Tyagi, was arrested in connection with a case registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018).
The CBI stated that the FIR was registered on the basis of a written complaint submitted a day earlier by Harshit Jindal. After verification of the allegations, the agency laid a trap at Sector 17 EPFO office and allegedly apprehended Tyagi while he was accepting ₹2.5 lakh as illegal gratification from the complainant in the presence of independent witnesses.
The remand papers state that Tyagi was arrested at around 6pm on Wednesday. The accused was informed of the grounds of arrest in writing, while his family was also informed about his arrest in compliance with legal requirements.
The CBI informed the court that Tyagi underwent a medical examination at the Government Multi Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh, on Thursday.
Seeking judicial custody, the investigating agency submitted that the probe is still at a preliminary stage. It told the court that several documents and material evidence are yet to be examined and key witnesses remain to be questioned.
The agency expressed apprehension that if released, the accused could influence or threaten witnesses and tamper with documentary evidence relevant to the investigation.
