(MENAFN- IANS) Vijayawada, Nov 26 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two officials of the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe.

The Central agency caught the Revenue Recovery Officer (RRO) and Social Security Officer (SSO) of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Vijayawada red-handed for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant.

The CBI registered a case against Revenue Recovery Officer K. Sai Kumar and Social Security Officer A. Ravi Kumar on November 25, the agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

The complainant told the CBI in his complaint that in 2020, he started a proprietorship firm to submit FCI tender bids.

He registered the said firm with ESI Corporation. Due to technical reasons, his firm was debarred by FCI for three years, and as a result, he could not do any contracts.

On November 20, both the accused officials visited the residential premises of the complainant and issued notice to attach his house.

The accused SSO demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 (Rs 30,000 for RRO and Rs 20,000 for himself) to defer the attachment/auction proceedings till December 31.

The CBI officials laid a trap and caught the accused Social Security Officer red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant. Later, both the accused officials were arrested.

The Central agency said they would be produced before the Special Judge Court for CBI Cases, Vijayawada.

Searches are in progress, it added.

In March this year, the CBI caught Joint Director (Scientist D) of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Vijayawada branch Ramakanth Sagar Muthyala, along with another individual, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 70,000 from an engineering company.

The BIS official was arrested along with V. Lakshminarayana Reddy, alias Babu Reddy, a representative of Kronax Engineering and Pressure Vessels Private Limited, after the alleged bribe was exchanged.

According to the CBI, the bribe was paid for giving a BIS approval to the company to manufacture 12,500 cylinders.

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