Ghaziabad, July 24 (IANS) A Special CBI Court in Ghaziabad on Friday convicted and sentenced the then manager of a gramin bank branch in Meerut to four years’ imprisonment with a fine of Rs10,000 in a 10-year-old bribery case, an official statement said.
Umesh Kumar Singhal, Branch Manager, Sarva UP Gramin Bank, Branch- Machhra, Meerut, had taken a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a loan applicant, the CBI official said.
The CBI registered the instant case on April 28, 2016, against Singhal on receiving a complaint from the loan applicant.
It was alleged that the accused Branch Manager demanded a bribe of Rs 28,000 from the complainant for sanctioning and disbursing the loan of Rs 2.50 lakh in favour of Indira Joint Liability Group having an account in UP Gramin Bank, Machhra, Meerut.
After negotiation, Singhal agreed to accept a bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.
The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs.25,000 from the complainant.
After investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet on June 24, 2016, against the accused. The Special Court, after the trial, convicted and sentenced Singhal on Friday.
In a separate case, the CBI arrested an Enforcement Officer of Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) District Office in Patiala for taking Rs 2.5 lakh bribe from a person facing an inquiry.
The CBI registered the case immediately on July 22 against the Enforcement Officer of EPFO.
It was alleged that the client of the complainant (EPF consultant) was facing an inquiry under Section 7A of the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, before the EPFO authorities.
Although the complainant had submitted all the required documents to the EPFO department, the accused threatened to submit an adverse report recommending heavy assessment/penalty against the complainant’s client, the CBI said.
“Subsequently, the accused telephonically contacted the complainant and directed him to meet at the EPFO Regional Office in Chandigarh on July 21. During the meeting, the accused Enforcement Officer demanded a bribe of Rs 4 lakh for closure of the inquiry against his client with minimal assessment/penalty,” the CBI added.
The CBI laid a trap on July 22 and caught the accused while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh from the complainant.
–IANS
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