CBI books EPFO accounts officer, wife in corruption case
The accused official, who is posted in Pune, and his wife, were recently booked under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act under sections relevant to the offences of performing public duty improperly or dishonestly in anticipation or in consequence of accepting undue advantage and abetment, respectively, CBI sources said. The accused officer is under the probe's scanner for his service tenure in the period between 2019 and 2025. The probe will also examine if there were others who may have helped the accused, agency sources said.
The CBI began its investigation on the basis of information that the accused officer, being a public servant, was directly involved in the processing and handling PF claims submitted by multiple private firms over a period from 2019 to 2025, but was misusing his official position to dishonestly process the claims, the sources said. It was learnt by the CBI that several of these claimants had allegedly deposited funds in the bank account of a consultancy firm maintained with a public-sector bank.
The consultancy firm was in the name of the accused officer's wife, the sources said. Verification conducted by the agency showed that the consultancy firm was allegedly also operating from the residence of the accused officer, the sources said.
'The information prima facie revealed that the accused EPFO official, being a public servant, abused his official position to improperly and dishonestly process and handle various EPFO claims submitted by various private entities in anticipation of or in consequence of accepting undue advantage through a third party, the consultancy services ostensibly operated in the name of his wife,' a CBI source said. His wife allegedly abetted him in accepting undue advantage from PF claimants under the garb of providing consultancy services to them, the sources said.
The CBI obtained the approval from the Competent Authority under the PC Act to initiate its probe against the accused official.
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