Berhampur: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended an officer of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Regional Office in Berhampur, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a company representative in Berhampur.Sources said,Anil ratha,public relation officer of EPFO office was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe in exchange for providing digital signatures,a crucial requirement for processing official documentation for companies under the EPFO framework.Basing on several allegations of corrupt practices by Ratha,the CBI sleuths laid the trap in which he was caught with the bribe money on yesterday.A sting operation was arranged and Ratha asked the private company representative to come to a eatery at Lanjipalli in the silkcity.While during the meeting,Ratha accepted the bribe, unaware that the CBI had set a trap following a formal complaint,immediately CBI sleuths who were already at the spot apprehended him.The CBI team took Ratha,reportedly to Bhubaneswar for further interrogation.Meanwhile Akhilesh kumar Singh,DIG,CBI,ACB,Bhubaneswar in a release has stated that on yesterday Suraj kumar dash of Chaityanya nagar in Berhampur has submitted a written complaint against ratha,demanding the bribe to approve the authorised signatory in Unified Portal of EPFO on behalf of M/S Jagannath infratech and M/s Uttam padhi.Basing on the complaint,the matter was verified by Biswa prakash rout,Inspector CBI,ACB,BBSR and the complaintant has been advised to pay the demanded bribe.Before receiving the bribe,Ratha over phone talked to some officers of EPFO by addressing him Sir.Soon after receiving the bribe Ratha was nabbed,but so the identity of the person to whom Ratha talked not yet established,the release said.In connection with the seizure of the bribe money a case has been registered against Ratha and others.The case has been entrusted to Girish kumar pradhan,DSP,CBI
