A former enforcement officer of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Maharashtra’s Nashik has been sentenced to four years’ rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a Rs 10 lakh bribery case, putting a decade-old corruption matter to rest.
The Special CBI Court in Pune convicted Devidas Shindikar, who was serving as an Enforcement Officer with EPFO, Nashik, and also imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on him.
The case dates back to April 2014, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case following a complaint by the general secretary of a school against Shindikar.
The complaint alleged that the EPFO officer had demanded money in return for reducing the provident fund dues and penalty payable by the educational institution.
According to the CBI, Shindikar initially sought Rs 8.50 lakh from the complainant. The demand was subsequently increased to Rs 13 lakh.
Following negotiations, the accused agreed to accept Rs 10 lakh as the bribe amount, prompting the agency to plan a trap operation.
The CBI laid the trap on April 21, 2014, and caught Shindikar red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 10 lakh from the complainant. The arrest followed the recovery of the alleged bribe amount as part of the agency’s trap proceedings.
“The accused initially demanded Rs 8.50 lakh from the school, which he subsequently enhanced to Rs 13 lakh. After negotiation, the accused agreed to accept Rs 10 lakh as bribe. The CBI laid a trap on April 21, 2014 and caught the accused red-handed while accepting the bribe from the complainant,” the CBI spokesperson said.
After completing its investigation, the agency filed a chargesheet against Shindikar before the court on July 21, 2014.
The matter then proceeded through trial, during which the prosecution presented evidence supporting the bribery allegations.
Following consideration of the evidence and arguments, the Special CBI Court in Pune convicted Shindikar and awarded him four years of rigorous imprisonment along with the Rs 1.5 lakh fine on August 31, 2026.
The verdict marks the culmination of proceedings that began with the complaint and trap operation in 2014. The accused will now undergo the sentence imposed by the court, subject to any further legal remedies available to him.
– Ends
Published On:
Sep 1, 2026 18:18 IST
