Chennai: CBI registered cases against four officers of Employees Provident Fund Organisations in Chennai and Tiruchy besides private individuals running companies in connection with PF contribution malpractices.
Cases of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery for the purpose cheating, using forged documents as genuine, demand of bribe by public servants were slapped against the suspects in at least six separate cases, including a case under the prevention of corruption act, registered by the CBI.
The sleuths had also conducted raids in over 15 places and seized documents pertaining to malpractices carried out by company owners with the connivance of these EPFO officers to avoid payment of the contribution to the PF and other dues and penalties, thus causing wrongful loss to EPFO.
CBI sources said that cases were registered against two enforcement officers and a section supervisor of the EPFO in Chennai.
Cases were registered against M. Thangavel, section supervisor, D. Vijay Kumar, Ramanan and R. Vimala, enforcement officers besides senior executives of private firms which were dodging payment of the contribution to the PF.
Ramanan was working in Chennai EPF office earlier and now posted in Tiruchy.
“Thangavel would contact the establishments after collecting details of their PF liability from enforcement officers to demand illegal gratification of up to Rs 2 lakh from them for reducing their EPF liability. Once the establishment agrees to pay him a hefty amount as a bribe, he would help them to create false documents using the service of his brother A. Marichamy, who runs Efficient Management Consultants. Illegal gratification would be paid to Efficient Management Consultants and the payment would be then transferred to the personal account of Thangavel or his wife Vijayalakshmi.
The CBI sources said that cases were registered against firms, including Adyar Ananda Bhavan, Kalanithi constructions in KK Nagar, Viswakarma Consultants, Alwarpet, Sukra Constructions, Kilpauk, CP Aquaculture, Red Hills, Stepstone promoters, Choolaimedu, MSS Management systems and Efficient Management Consultants.
