CBI arrests two Puducherry ESIC officers for receiving bribe

PUDUCHERRY: The CBI has arrested two officers of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) on charges of demanding and receiving a bribe of Rs 25,000 from an executive of a company for unfreezing the company’s bank account. The arrested officers have been identified as social security officer Mohit Jha and deputy director Paras Gregory Khalkho, both posted at ESIC, Puducherry.
ESIC issued a recovery notice to the company, after the company failed to settle dues to a tune of Rs 8.51 lakh along with interest since January 2020. Jha and Khalkho contacted the bank where the company has an account and directed the bank authorities to freeze the account of the company.
An executive of the company approached Jha with a request to unfreeze the company’s bank account. Jha demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 for him and for Khalkho to unfreeze the account. The company executive alerted the CBI. The investigation agency laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and receiving the bribe. CBI sleuths searched the ESIC premises and recovered incriminating documents.
The agency produced the two accused men before a magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody till August 12.