The CBI has filed a chargesheet against an Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) enforcement officer accused of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹2 lakh to help close an inquiry against a complainant’s client with minimal assessment and penalty.

The accused, Shubham Tyagi, enforcement officer at the EPFO’s district office in Patiala, was arrested by the CBI in July following a trap operation. The chargesheet has now been filed before a CBI court.

According to the CBI case, the client of the complainant, an EPF consultant, was facing an inquiry under Section 7A of the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952. The complainant had submitted the required documents to the EPFO, but Tyagi allegedly threatened to submit an adverse report recommending a heavy assessment and penalty against the client.

The officer subsequently contacted the complainant over the phone and asked him to meet at the EPFO Regional Office in Chandigarh, where he allegedly demanded ₹4 lakh for closing the inquiry with minimal assessment and penalty.

The CBI registered the case on July 22 and laid a trap following the complaint. Tyagi was allegedly caught while demanding and accepting ₹2 lakh from the complainant, the agency said.

The chargesheet has been filed following the investigation into the bribery allegations.