The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an Enforcement Officer of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Delhi after he was caught demanding a bribe of Rs 12 lakh from a man. The accused, Rishi Raj, was working in the East Regional Office of EPFO and had conducted an inspection of a multi-speciality hospital in Delhi. During the inspection, Raj informed the manager that there were several irregularities in the hospital’s records, and a penalty of Rs 1.5 crore would be imposed on them. He then asked the manager to pay 20% of the penalty amount as a bribe to settle the matter. After negotiation, the bribe amount was fixed at Rs 12 lakh.
The CBI registered a case against Raj and laid a trap to catch him red-handed while he was accepting the bribe. The accused was produced before a special CBI court later on. Searches were conducted at the premises of the accused.
The EPFO official’s arrest once again highlights India’s ongoing struggle with corruption. The country has been plagued by bribery and corruption for years, a problem that is particularly rampant in the public sector. The government has been taking steps to tackle the issue, including implementing new anti-corruption laws and strengthening existing ones. However, much more needs to be done to eliminate bribery and corruption from the country completely. The CBI’s swift action in arresting the EPFO official is a positive step towards achieving this goal.
