Pune: CBI court sentences former EPFO officer to four years’ RI in Rs 10 lakh bribery case

Pune, Sept 1 (TNT): A CBI court in Pune has sentenced former Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Enforcement Officer Devidas Shindikar to four years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) and imposed a fine of Rs 1.50 lakh in a bribery case involving Rs 10 lakh.

According to the CBI, Shindikar, then posted as Enforcement Officer at EPFO, Nashik, had demanded a bribe from the general secretary of a school in connection with the reduction of provident fund dues and penalty payable by the institution.

The accused had initially demanded Rs 8.50 lakh, which was later increased to Rs 13 lakh. Following negotiations, he agreed to accept Rs 10 lakh as bribe, the CBI said in a release here on Tuesday.

Based on a complaint, the CBI registered a case on April 17, 2014, and laid a trap on April 21. The accused was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 10 lakh from the complainant.

After completing the investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet against the accused on July 21, 2014. Following the trial, the court convicted and sentenced him accordingly.

TNT KS