Gujarat ACB Nabs ESIC, PF Officials for Bribery

Three Central government employees were arrested by Gujarat Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on charges of bribery. The accused included ESIC Assistant Director Kamalkant Meena, Assistant PF Commissioner Harshadkumar Parmar, and enforcement officer Suprabhat Tomar. They demanded bribes to reduce penalty amounts for local businessmen.

Three Central government employees, including an assistant director with Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), were arrested by Gujarat Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday for alleged bribery.

The accused, who have been booked in two separate cases, comprise ESIC's assistant director Kamalkant Meena, assistant Provident Fund (PF) commissioner Harshadkumar Parmar, and enforcement officer Suprabhat Tomar, an ACB release said.

While Meena is serving in ESIC's office in Ahmedabad city, Parmar and Tomar are serving in PF office in Vapi town of Valsad district, it added.

A local businessman was given a notice by ESIC for not depositing Rs 46.29 lakh towards the insurance of his employees. Meena sought Rs 4 lakh to settle the matter and promised to reduce the recovery amount to Rs 2 lakh from 46.29 lakh. Meena, a Class I officer, was caught in an ACB trap at the ESIC office in Ashram road while accepting Rs 3 lakh from the businessman, the release said.

In the second case, the office of Vapi's assistant PF commissioner had issued a notice to a builder for not deducting provident fund of his employees. Parmar, a Class-1 officer, and enforcement officer Suprabhat Tomar, a Class-2 officer, demanded Rs 5 lakh to expedite the matter and reduce the penalty amount, it said.

After the man contacted the ACB, a trap was laid at Parmar's office in Vapi and the duo was arrested while accepting Rs 5 lakh as bribe, the release said.

(With inputs from agencies.)