CBI books EPFO official, 14 others in bribery case

CBI books EPFO officer for accepting bribes from Jet Airways employees in exchange for processing their withdrawal claims. Wife also named in FIR.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked an officer with the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for allegedly accepting bribes, totalling ₹1.77 lakh, from 13 former employees of the grounded private airline Jet Airways in exchange for processing their withdrawal claims. The agency’s FIR has also named the 13 employees and the EPFO official’s wife.

HT Image

The CBI’s case was based on a complaint filed by a regional PF commissioner-I (vigilance) against Machindra Jagannath Bamne, a dealing assistant in the accounts section of the EPFO’s Kandivali (East) office, sources said.

“The complainant alleged that during the course of investigation by the zonal vigilance directorate, EPFO, West Zone, Bamne was found to be involved in various fraudulent activities,” a CBI officer said. “He had received illegal gratification in his as well as his wife’s bank accounts through multiple mode of online transactions from employees of various establishments in lieu of their claim settlement.”

His wife, Rupali, is accused of receiving parts of the illegal gratification on behalf of her husband.

The FIR has invoked sections under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act which deal with the offences of criminal conspiracy, public servant obtaining undue advantage and the abetment of offence, the officer said.

The bribery transactions were confirmed by cross-verification of the online credit entries in the accounts of the official and his wife with the corresponding debit entries in the bank accounts of the employees, whose EPF claims were settled by him, the official said. “The investigation found that suspicious credit transactions, to the tune of around ₹1.77 lakh, in the accounts of the accused and his wife were allegedly done by the then 13 employees of Jet Airways.”

The acts by the accused persons amount to the commission of offences punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, the official added.