A Special CBI Court in Pune has sentenced former Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) Enforcement Officer Devidas Shindikar to four years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and a fine of ₹1.50 lakh in a ₹10 lakh bribery case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said. The conviction, handed down on Monday, stems from a trap laid a decade ago after a school employee alleged that Shindikar had extorted money to reduce provident fund dues.

How the Bribery Unfolded

The CBI registered the case on 17 April 2014 following a complaint by the General Secretary of a school in Nashik, where Shindikar was then posted as Enforcement Officer. According to the CBI, Shindikar initially demanded ₹8.50 lakh to facilitate a reduction in PF dues and penalties payable by the school. The demand was subsequently escalated to ₹13 lakh before both parties settled on ₹10 lakh after negotiation.

On 21 April 2014, CBI officers laid a trap and caught Shindikar red-handed while he was accepting the bribe amount from the complainant. A charge sheet was filed on 21 July 2014, and the Special Court convicted and sentenced him after completion of the trial.

Key Details of the Sentence

The court imposed four years of Rigorous Imprisonment along with a fine of ₹1.50 lakh on Shindikar. The case is notable for the gap between the trap date in 2014 and the final conviction — a span of over a decade — underscoring the prolonged timelines that often characterise CBI prosecutions in corruption cases involving government servants.

Separate CBI Conviction in Chennai Bank Fraud

In a separate ruling on the same day, a Special CBI Court in Chennai convicted steel trading firm Jailani Steel Traders and six individuals in connection with a 2008 bank fraud case that caused a loss of ₹2.68 crore to the United Bank of India.

The convicted individuals are S. Amurudheen, L. Vijayalakshmi, M. Shanthi, S. Kamatshi, M. Sivakumar, and M. Ravichandran Babu. Amurudheen was sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment, while the remaining five received six months each. Fines totalling ₹60,000 were imposed on the six individuals, and the firm was separately ordered to pay ₹20,000. The CBI had registered the Chennai case on 21 April 2008 following a complaint from the United Bank of India.

Broader Pattern of CBI Anti-Corruption Action

Both convictions on the same day reflect a sustained push by the CBI to prosecute corruption and financial fraud cases across government and banking sectors. Cases involving EPFO officials are particularly significant given the organisation's oversight of workers' retirement savings. This is not the first instance of an EPFO enforcement officer being prosecuted for demanding bribes in connection with PF compliance inspections — a pattern that critics argue points to systemic vulnerabilities in how such audits are conducted.

With both verdicts now on record, the CBI is expected to pursue any pending appeals or linked proceedings in accordance with standard post-conviction procedure.