Vadodara: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Gujarat today apprehended Binodkumar Harikant Sharma, an Enforcement Officer (PF Inspector), Class-2, of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Vadodara for accepting a bribe of ₹40,000.

According to the ACB, the complainant in this case is engaged in facility management and deposits the salaries and provident fund contributions of employees working in his company online. The accused sent the complainant an e-mail with a spot memo and asked him to submit the required documents. When the complainant visited the accused at his office, Sharma informed him that the deadline for submitting the documents had passed and that he would now have to pay a fine or face legal action. He then demanded ₹50,000 to avoid any penalties. After negotiations, the amount was settled at ₹40,000.

Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB and filed a complaint. Acting on this, the ACB set a trap at the accused’s office, where Sharma was caught red-handed while accepting ₹40,000.

The operation was led by Police Inspector A.J. Chauhan under the supervision of Assistant Director P.H. Bhesaniya of ACB Vadodara. Further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat