PF official asks ₹5K bribe, gets four years in jail

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday sentenced Chandan Kumar, a former social security assistant of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday sentenced Chandan Kumar, a former social security assistant of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), to four years in jail for demanding ₹5,000 bribe to clear the provident fund (PF) dues of an account holder.

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As per the prosecution’s case, Kumar was posted at Kandivli in September 2015, when the case was registered. The complainant alleged that Kumar demanded ₹10,000 to clear his PF file, but later settled for ₹5,000. The account-holder approached the Mumbai anti-corruption bureau and filed a complaint against Kumar. As the accused was employed with a Central government institution, the case was forwarded to the CBI. On September 20, a sting operation was carried out and Kumar was caught accepting the bribe

To prove the case, the prosecution examined 12 witnesses and presented technical evidence in the form of the recorded conversations between the accused and the complainant. Further, the currency notes presented to the accused were chemical-coated and left marks on his hands.